Different Circumstances
by fallingUpstairs
Summary: What if Luke & Lorelai met in a different time, different place? How would things go? What would they think of each other? R & R please!
1. Chapter 1

Different Circumstances

**Summary**- What if Luke & Lorelai met in a different time, different place? How would things go? What would they think of each other?

Yup, that's right, my second multi-chapter fic in one day.

**Disclaimer**- I don't own GG, even though I wish I did. But no, nothing's mine, just the creative insanity in my head.

An 18 year-old dark-haired boy stood behind the counter of William's Hardware Store. He spotted a girl who looked about 2 years younger than him standing on the sidewalk. She had bright blue eyes and long brown hair. She looked up and offered him a small smile. It was nervous, cautious, but a smile nonetheless. He returned the smile and then averted his eyes back down to the small paper with the contents of the order he needed to fill scribbled on it.

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Lorelai stood on the corner of a quaint little town. She stood in front of a big window looking into a store called William's Hardware. She saw a boy, who couldn't be more than 2 years older than her, standing at the counter. He was very handsome. She saw him glance at her and she offered him a weak smile, which he returned.

She looked down at her shoes as her mother walked up behind her and grabbed hold of her arm tightly. Her mom scoffed at the sight of the hardware store. Lorelai shuffled her feet as Emily dragged her along the sidewalk. She could not believe her mother was doing this.

All this just for a pregnancy test. She had to listen to the Emily Gilmore unabridged version of her lecture about how everyone in Hartford knows her. Thus, if anyone saw her in a convenience store, buying a pregnancy test for her 16 year old daughter, no less, the gossip would spread like wildfire and everyone would know that her daughter was a little harlot by the next morning.

She rolled her eyes at her mother's disguise- huge sunglasses that she must've borrowed directly from Jackie O herself, large gaudy pieces of jewelry, and a huge floral headscarf. Geez, way to look inconspicuous. That's a great way to _not_ draw attention to herself. She played with the hem of her just-too-big blue sweater and looked down at her old sneakers. At first, Emily figured that her newfound weight gain was just a result of the Tootsie Rolls that she'd been hoarding in her drawer.

Well," Her mother spoke up, "Pick one."

"I don't know," Lorelai shrugged.

"It's not that hard!" Emily cawed.

Lorelai grabbed a box without even looking and tossed it in the basket her mother was clutching.

"Get three!" She insisted.

"Fine," Lorelai sighed.

Lorelai grabbed two more boxes and made her way up to the counter, with her mother close behind. As she stared out the big, dirty windows she couldn't help but think about the guy at the hardware store. There was something about him, and she just couldn't put her finger on it...

"Lorelai!" Her mother called in her voice that would frighten Satan, interrupting her train of thought as the small bell above the door jingled.

Lorelai slowly followed after her, dragging her feet. She felt uncomfortable in her clothes. She felt out of place. Nothing fit right; it was all too baggy, hanging off her new pregnancy curves. She would soon need to start buying actual maternity wear. Lorelai was both dreading it and looking forward to it.

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Luke locked up and turned the sign on the door to 'Closed'. His mind floated back to the brunette from earlier that day. She looked very uncomfortable, out of place, though in a strange way he felt that she would fit perfectly into the insanity that is Stars Hollow. He wondered why he'd never seen her before. He knew she didn't live around here, since it was a small town and he definitely would've remembered a girl like her. Why anyone would come here was a mystery to him. And she and her mother definitely didn't look like tourists.

Maybe if he sees her again he should try to strike up a conversation. _Yeah, like that would happen, way to pass up a great opportunity, Luke_, He thought to himself. But he thought more thoroughly about it. Man, how awkward would _that_ be? He just happens to see her walking down the street and he runs outside onto the sidewalk to start talking to her. Yeah, that'd be smooth.

He shook his head at himself and trudged up the stairs and got into bed. He finally managed to get to sleep after he stopped all the thoughts of that girl from flooding his mind.

**Author's Note**- There you have it! Chapter one! Review if possible. Be constructive. Don't hesitate to ask questions if you're confused because I will answer. I'll post more ASAP.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**- You know how it goes, nothing's really mine except the plot.

Enjoy! Chapter TWO

Luke sighed as his alarm went off at 7 AM. He was already awake. He slammed the button down and got dressed for school. He shook his sister, Liz, awake. She clawed him a few times and let a few profanities slip, but Luke was used to it by now.

Liz hopped up and did her normal morning routine. She grabbed a handful of Mini Wheats and stuffed them in her mouth, threw some clothes on, barely ran a comb through her hair, then flipped her head over and ran her fingers through her short-ish hair. It was naturally blonde, but she had currently dyed a few purple streaks in it. Luke brushed his teeth, while Liz just gargled a mixture of Listerine and water, and grabbed his bag with his track uniform. Liz caked on her makeup and grabbed her purse.

The two of them headed downstairs to the bus stop and waited patiently for the big yellow vehicle to come. It arrived and they got on. Luke sat in the seat across the aisle from Liz and her friend and behind one of his friends, Mark. He and Mark had a conversation about baseball scores, and then he looked out the window. He thought he saw the mysterious girl, but knew he actually didn't.

The bus screeched to the next stop. A girl with curly bright blonde hair, electric blue eye shadow, and dark red lips got on, dragging her bookbag in the aisle behind her. Her skirt was rolled and pulled up past her bellybutton and she had chunky heels on. Carrie. Crazy Carrie. She strutted down the aisle to Liz's seat. They greeted each other with air-kisses on the cheek.

"Hey Butch," Carrie greeted seductively, chewing her lime green gum obnoxiously.

"Carrie," He replied simply.

"You wanna taste my gum?" She asked, yanking lightly on his earlobe and blowing a big bubble.

Luke swatted her hand away.

"I bet that bubble isn't the only thing you can blow, Carrie!" Liz called out loudly from behind her.

"Hey! Hey, I don't wanna hear my little sister talking about _blowing_," Luke spat.

Then he turned to Mark and they went back to talking about sports and the opening game coming up.

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Lorelai looked at herself uncomfortably in the mirror. She was trying on her uniform after her mother had sent it away for an "emergency tailoring session" the night before. It had been tailored to fit her ever-growing stomach. She decided to keep it business as usual, so nobody would wonder anything. She rolled the skirt twice and slipped on her white knee-socks, then un-tucked her button-down white shirt. She pulled her navy blue school monogrammed sweater over her head and made sure the tails of her shirt were sticking out under the sweater. She stepped into her platform shoes and put her hair up in the messy bun that her mother hated. She walked down the stairs casually, grabbing her bag at the bottom.

"Dreadful," Emily sighed of the outfit.

"Perfect," Lorelai said in response to her mother's comment.

Then she got into the car. She plugged her walkman headphones into her ears and tuned out, her mind drifting back to the guy she saw the other day. He seemed like a really interesting guy. But she had Christopher. And she had to tell him…Today.

She stepped onto the school campus. She waved to a few of her friends and exchanged hugs with some people. Then she zeroed in on the person she was looking for. She casually walked over.

"Hey Lor," Christopher greeted, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey Chris," She smiled, putting her arm around his shoulders.

"So, opening football game tonight," Chris began.

"Yup. And our team's totally gonna suck," She replied.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to show up, have a little school spirit," He shrugged.

"School spirit? I believe you have me pegged all wrong. And we've been going out how long?" Lorelai joked.

"That's what I thought," Chris said, "So, why don't you grace me with your presence at the game tonight? We can make fun of the cheerleaders, cheer for the opposing team, and you can look at the guys run around in their tight football pants."

"You've got a deal," Lorelai nodded.

**Author's Note**- Second chapter! Don't forget to review! Be honest. More later!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sneaking this one in before my soccer game.

Thanks for the nice reviews! And **Squiddrude**, that's exactly how the uniform was in my old school. I know how you feel.

**Disclaimer- **Yadda, yadda, yadda. You know the drill by now. It's not mine, I just borrowed ASP/DR's toys from the sandbox (just a little dirty…).

Part THREE!

Luke had ran two miles straight and then stopped back by the rest of the track team. He picked up his water bottle and drank half, pouring the other half onto his sweaty head. All the other runners were gushing over his latest time and chattering about Clifton Regional's Cross Country team. After about another hour of running, Luke finally got to go home. He showered and went down to work the counter again.

As he was working, he spotted the girl's mother walking down the sidewalk strangely. She once again had on large sunglasses and a headscarf, and was covering her face with her hand. _Way to be inconspicuous, lady_, Luke thought bluntly, rolling his eyes. But he craned his neck to see her. He watched her walk down the street out of curiosity, wondering where the hell she was going, especially in that crazy get-up.

Then he went back to work, his mind clogged with possible scenarios about why that woman was there.

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Lorelai sat on the cold bleachers of the high school football field. She had tossed on a big school sweatshirt to fight off the early autumn chill in the air. She paired that with the special maternity jeans she had picked up on the way home from school, jeans that actually _fit_, and hugged her curves perfectly. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail that her mother had insisted she let one of the housekeepers do for her, complete with 2 school-colored ribbons around it. She waited for Christopher to return with her coffee and a big soft pretzel for them to share.

He came back and within 15 minutes the cheerleaders came bounding out onto the field. They did complicated stunts (one of which dropped completely to the ground). The cheerleaders, of course, received some mocking from Lorelai ("Of course, fattie's on the bottom of the pyramid", "Ooh, that one's gonna hurt tomorrow", "Could that uniform be any tighter?" " Is that the one nailing the quarterback? No, that one…or is it _that_ one? Nope, I think it might be that one."). Then they were followed by the football team who, though extremely stupid, looked _really_ good in the tight pants.

After the game had been going on for about 20 minutes, Lorelai grabbed Christopher's hand. She pulled her behind him, down the many layers of the bleachers. They went underneath the bleachers, among all the couples making out.

"Ooh, Miss Gilmore, you always were the straight-forward type," Chris said, raising his eyebrows.

"That's not why we're here. I need to talk to you," She replied.

"Well we're talking…" He said.

"Don't be an ass…Look, have you noticed anything different about me?" She asked.

"Uhh, not really. And don't get pissed at me if it's something like the fact that you switched juices at lunchtime, I told you, guys don't notice this stuff!" He replied, in his defense.

"It's not that…You haven't noticed that I, uh,_ look_ different?" She asked.

"Nope," He shrugged.

"I'm getting fat, Chris!" She cried bluntly. "Look, I'm pregnant."

She breathed a sigh of relief, now it was time for the reaction.

"Pregnant?" He asked. "You serious?"

"Look, Chris, I know it'll be a cold day in Hell when I stop joking around, but I am _not_ kidding about being pregnant," Lorelai replied.

"Okay," Chris sighed deeply.

"So what now?" She asked.

"Well, I'm with you all the way, I promise," Chris replied, taking her hand and kissing her forehead.

**Author's Note**- No, I don't support Chris/Lorelai, but that's what's going on at the time of this fic, and L/L don't really even know each other yet. I might post later today, but I'm not too sure yet. I usually like to be pretty ahead of myself and have at least the 2 next chapters already typed up on the computer (I've written up to Part 5 by now). Mini-spoiler Alert! Next Chapter: Luke & Lorelai actually meet!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**- sigh You know how it goes by now…

Part FOUR!

It was the beginning of winter. There was a cold nip in the air. Luke still hadn't decided if he liked it or not. He liked the cold, but he hated snow and slush. It was a pain.

He stood behind the counter, absentmindedly scribbling on one of the order slips. Then it happened. He saw her. The girl from weeks ago. Was it a mirage? No. But she looked different. Not in a bad way. He was instantly hypnotized. She glanced up at him and smiled again, but she was preoccupied. Her eyes weren't in it. He could tell she was trying to make it seem that way, and she wished her eyes were in it, but they weren't.

A lean-looking teenage boy came up behind her, putting his arm on her back. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm. The mother from the 2 other times was following behind. Of course. Of course a girl like her would have a boyfriend. The smiles were just friendly, cordial. They were strangers, after all. But then something else caught his eye. Her protruding stomach. It didn't take away from her beauty, just added to it's unique-ness.

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Lorelai walked through that small town again. What was it's name? Oh yes, Stars Hollow. She remembered it well. She smiled slightly. It was a nice town. She might like to have a family here someday. But not now, oh no, it was too small now. She could bet that gossip spread even faster here than it did in the Emily Gilmore world. Yes, she'd live here…eventually. After she had this…thing, she'd move here with Chris (or not with Chris?) and raise it here.

Once again, to escape from the harsh, close-knit gossip community of Gilmore-area Hartford, they decided to visit a doctor in this small, slightly detached town. They walked down the same sidewalk again, all three of them. And they walked by that hardware store again. The one with the boy. And he was there, standing at the counter. Lorelai glanced at him, quickly captivated. He gave her this tiny, tiny look, a look that made her feel like they'd known each other for years. She offered him a smile, but her mind was buried in the thoughts of this…baby. She tried her hardest to make it genuine, friendly, but it didn't come out quite right.

She felt Christopher's arm around her shoulders and relaxed slightly.

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Luke wondered who this guy was and what they were doing here. It wasn't fair. This was _his_ town, _his_ Stars Hollow. People shouldn't be able to just walk down the street and invade his thoughts like that.

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It had been two days since her first, long check-up. They didn't know the sex of the baby yet, but they said they would find out by her next visit. Lorelai was back in Stars Hollow after her second prenatal check-up. She had come alone. And she was walking outside, cold. Looking at the scenery was only so interesting until the chill got the best of her. She ducked into the hardware store, happy to finally have a reason to enter, since she'd been curious about it since her first visit to Stars Hollow.

There was an older man at the counter filling orders. He pulled out random boxes of nails and screws. Then his old, warm eyes fell upon her.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked, smiling genuinely.

"Oh, no, I'm just trying to get out of the cold," She smiled.

"Yes, the weather can be a bit fickle this time of year," He replied, looking past her out the window.

"Definitely," She smiled, brushing some of her hair back behind her ear.

Then he came out from the back room. Him. The dark-haired enigma who she'd seen only about two times before.

"Hi," She smiled.

"Um, hi," He replied, his voice deep.

"Actually, do you have a phone I could use?" She asked, turning her attention back to the older man.

"Yes. Luke, take this dear young lady to the phone," He ordered kindly.

Lorelai smiled kindly as Luke led her to the back room. She waited a few minutes for him to leave.

"What? I'm not going to try anything on you, geez," He grumbled, leaving the room.

She chuckled and dialed a number.

"Hey Linda? Do you think you could maybe pick me up?" She asked.

After explaining where she was, she finished with a "thanks" and hung up.

She left the room and stood, leaning her elbow on the counter.

"So, I'm Luke," The boy introduced, offering his hand.

"Lorelai," She smiled, adding to the handshake.

"Do you live around here?" He asked.

"No…long story," She said, adding an answer to his questioning look.

"Okay," Luke shrugged, letting it go.

"Yeah, I'm um, pregnant, obviously," She laughed nervously, not wanting this new person in her life to judge her so quickly.

"Yeah. Is it hard?" He asked, to her surprise.

"Confusing. But not that hard. I kind of get used to it after awhile. And the father's involved, so it's a little easier," She replied.

"Oh. So, boy or girl?" He asked.

"They don't know yet. I'll find out next time I go to the doctor," She explained.

There was a short silence as the two of them were stewing in their own thoughts.

"So what d'you think about coffee?" She asked perkily.

"I can't stand it. It's like liquid death," Luke crossed his arms.

"Oh my God! Are you serious? Coffee practically keeps me alive!" She cried.

"It can rot your teeth. And I bet it can't be good for the baby," He said.

"Okay Mr. Encyclopedia," She mocked, rolling her eyes.

"Watch out! He rants!" Luke's father's voice called out from the back room.

Then Lorelai rambled on about coffee and donuts and junk food and school until her friend Linda arrived to pick her up.

"Bye Luke," She smiled.

"Bye," Luke smiled back.

**Author's Note**- Aww, wasn't that cute. I want feedback, guys! Don't be afraid to be honest/critical. As long as it's constructive please, don't be _too_ harsh. I want your opinion. More soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**- I don't own GG. I wish I did, but unfortunately not.

Ha, **cywen69**, I totally understand where all of your questions are coming from. And I can promise you they'll all be answered in due time.

Part FIVE!

Lorelai walked down the street after her 3rd appointment. She found out that she was having a girl. A baby girl. She felt the giddiness well up inside her. She walked into William's Hardware.

"A girl," She smiled, announcing it to both Luke and his father, who had been caught up on Lorelai's tale as well.

"Congratulations," The two men said in unison.

Then Lorelai walked over to the counter and leaned her elbow on it, like she had last time. She felt comfortable standing there, leaning on the counter. It was a small thing, but it felt right. Even though it was a _hardware_ store (not a shoe store or coffee shop), there was just something unexplainable there. She felt like she just _fit_ there. Right there, on the counter. Standing in that spot.

"So, you seem happy," Luke pointed out.

"Yeah. Now I'm thinking about names," She replied.

"Any good ones?" He asked.

"Um, I was thinkin' Flo," She replied.

"Ah, that one's a keeper," Luke joked sarcastically along with her.

"Yeah, well, I've gotta go, my friend's here already," Lorelai gestured out the window.

She got in the car and Linda dropped her off at home. She walked in to find her parents, Chris, and the Haydens all sitting in the living room.

"Lorelai, please sit down," Her mother requested.

Lorelai obliged. She crossed her arms and sent Chris a questioning look. He shrugged.

"We have an announcement," Chris's mother said.

"We do," Richard agreed.

"Could you maybe enlighten me as to what this _announcement_ may be?" Lorelai asked impatiently.

"We were _getting_ to that, Lorelai," Emily replied, frustrated.

"Oh, Emily, she's a pregnant teenager, she's definitely entitled to her moods," Chris's mom added.

"Hey!" Lorelai cried in her defense. His mom might've been trying to defend her, but she wasn't too thrilled about Chris's mother making a comment about her _moods_.

_Bitch_, She thought, but didn't dare speak these thoughts.

"Anyway," Chris's father said, "Let's get on with it."

"Well, you two are getting married," Emily announced, as though it was as plain as saying that they were all going out for tea, their treat.

"What!" Lorelai cried. "Why?"

"Huh?" Chris added, confused.

"Well, you're pregnant with his child," Chris's mother replied simply, sipping her tea.

"It's not that easy. There has to be love, a commitment, involved," Lorelai argued.

"This is ridiculous! You two are having a **child** together!" Emily said.

"We have to _want_ to do this," Lorelai replied angrily.

While Chris seemed slightly okay with this arrangement, Lorelai was definitely not. Chris seemed ready and interested in doing it, but this was not what she wanted. She ran up to her room and slammed the door behind her. She angrily collapsed onto her back on her bed. She wondered what Luke would think about this.

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Luke's mind traveled to Lorelai. He, Liz, Mark, Carrie, and a few of him & Liz's mutual friends were sitting in a booth together at Snuffy's Tavern. But he was preoccupied. He and Mark chattered randomly about unimportant things. Sports, girls, jobs, etc. They all ate like pigs (except Luke, of course) and then left.

It had been about a week since Lorelai's last appointment when she announced that it was going to be a girl. Lorelai came into the hardware store again.

"My life sucks," She sighed.

"Why?" Luke chuckled.

"My parents are trying to force me to marry Christopher!" She cried, frustrated.

"Christopher…" He thought back.

"Baby's father. I don't think you've ever seen him," She explained quickly.

"Oh," He replied.

"Yeah, and now Chris follows me around like a damn lost puppy. Because apparently he's completely game for it and is totally into the idea of getting married at freaking sixteen," She complained.

"That _does_ suck," Luke agreed.

"Uh-huh," Lorelai nodded.

**Author's Note**- Well that was Chp 5. Not much to say. Review & I'll post more soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**- Nope, it's still not mine…

Lorelai had made stopped into the hardware store almost regularly whenever she went to the doctor's. She hadn't gone the week before, but decided to make an appearance now. The bell on the door jingled. Luke didn't even bother to look up from the inventory notebook he was writing in, since he already knew it was her. She waved and smiled to Mr. Danes and then walked over to the counter. She slapped down a big manila envelope, causing Luke to look up. She pulled out a translucent sheet of plastic-y paper. It had lots of dark spots, but it made an almost-clear, yet quite fuzzy image.

"Check this out," She smiled, biting her lip.

She held the sheet up to the window so the light showed the image clearer. They stared at it in amazement for a few minutes.

"Woah…so that thing is in there?" Luke asked in wonder, pointing to her stomach.

"Why yes Luke, that _thing_ is in there. Would you like me to refresh your memory of where babies come from?" She mocked, using a voice as though she was talking to a little kid.

Luke rolled his eyes as Lorelai lowered it back down to the counter.

"So, you say that Chris is there for you, but how come he doesn't ever come to your doctor's appointments?" Luke asked, interested.

"Well, he doesn't have to. We're not really going out anymore, and he has other things to do. I'm fine with going alone. Just knowing that I have his support is good enough for me," She explained.

She checked the clock, realizing that this particular appointment had gone on longer than usual.

"Gotta get home," Lorelai reasoned, sliding the envelope into her bag.

"Bye," Luke replied.

"Bye," She waved to both Luke and his dad, and left.

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The Next Day-

Lorelai got in the car and went to school, now just feeling downright awkward in her school uniform. Small, rolled plaid skirts did _not_ agree with pregnancy. This was probably going to be one of her last weeks at school. Rumors were flying, and even though she was completely unfazed, her mother didn't enjoy it and school was getting to be quite a pain. Either the people were extremely bitchy, or they treated her like a baby, always asking if she was okay and wanting to do whatever they could to make her "as comfortable as possible." She scoffed to herself. She thought that having people catering to her every whim would be fun, but she found that every day she was yearning more and more to be treated normally. That's why she liked going to the hardware store. She could talk normally. They only talked about the baby when _she_ brought it up.

She walked toward Christopher slowly.

"Hey Chris," She greeted, smiling weakly.

"Hey. How is she?" He asked, gesturing to her stomach.

"She's great…Look, I think we should talk," She began.

"It is the baby? If something's up I should know," Chris said, panicked.

"No, no, I just told you, she's FINE," She replied. "I just think maybe we should give up this whole couple thing. I mean, before you found out I was pregnant, we were pretty much almost over anyway. You'll still obviously be a part of her life, but we just won't be…_romantically involved_."

"You sure about this?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Alright, I can't say I completely disagree," Chris replied.

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Luke sat on the bench at his track meet, waiting for his turn to run. They called him up to the starting line. He did some calf stretches and lunges while he waited. This was one of the last track meets, since it had become unbelievably cold out. The shotgun popped and he ran. He was the first one to break through the finish line. There was a flash coming from the general area where a newspaper reporter was standing. In the stands, he saw Liz, her friend Kim, and Carrie cheering loudly. Carrie was jumping up and down holding a heavily-glittered poster reading "Go BUTCH Danes!". It was a wonder how she didn't fall down hopping around in those heels.

Luke got some water, slipped on his sweatpants and sweatshirt, and got on the bus to go back to the school parking lot. His dad was waiting there for him and Liz, and he picked them up and drove them home. They both ate dinner, took showers, and went to bed.

The next morning, Luke grabbed the paper, reading through some interesting stores and then flipping to the sports section. He skimmed through the professional sports and then his eyes stopped on a picture.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" He asked to no one in particular, and added a few more expletives in there.

It was a picture of him, crashing through the finish line at the track meet last night. He went to school.

After a ho-hum day of school involving many people congratulating him, he went home. He was eager to see Lorelai, after having to deal with all the annoying kids at his school. Not that she wasn't annoying… she was, just a different kind of annoying, an _endearing_ kind.

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Lorelai was sitting in the lobby of the doctor's office after her check-up, waiting for the receptionist to call her up to the desk to schedule her next appointment. The only thing around to read was either Women's Day, Fit Pregnancy, or a local Stars Hollow newspaper. She wasn't really a 'Women's Day' kinda gal, and if she really wanted to know about pregnancy she could just look down at her stomach that had now obscured her view of her shoes, so she chose the paper. She wasn't really the newspaper type either. No, much more into the National Enquirer, but she found this town interesting.

She flipped through. Stories about some random round guy named Taylor Doose and his proposition of a 'Stars Hollow Shrub Festival', some girl around her age named Sookie winning the local pie-baking contest, making her the youngest winner in Stars Hollow history, and some kind of annual parade coming up. Then she passed over the sports section. She was flipping quickly, hoping that this paper had one of those witty Family Circus comics…but no Cathy, Cathy was annoying. All it was was griping about being a woman and being fat & how times were changing (AN- my thoughts exactly…it's the same thing I think about 'The View'…I can't stand 'Cathy' or 'The View'). But as she was flipping through, something in the sports section caught her eye. A picture. She tried to stifle her laughter and stuffed the page in her bag as the woman at the front desk called her up.

Lorelai walked into the hardware store.

"Hey," Luke greeted, his back turned as he was sorting some stuff into a box.

"Hey…do you need any help?" Lorelai asked.

"Nahh," He replied.

"What? I'm not allowed to touch the nuts and bolts?" She asked innocently, pretending to sound hurt.

"No, you're not. This is my job, you're not allowed to touch my nuts and bolts," He answered grumpily, not even hearing the words coming out of his mouth.

"Dirty!" She squealed. "You totally backed into that one!"

"You set me up!" He objected, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"I couldn't help it," She laughed.

"Well very funny," He said sarcastically.

She leaned both forearms on the counter. She whipped the paper out of her bag.

"So, since when are you the big track star, mister? Can I have your autograph?" She asked, slapping the page down.

"Geez, you've seen it too?" He asked, reddening.

"Yup, and I must say, the short-shorts are a nice touch," She replied, laughing.

"Put that away," He demanded gruffly.

"Nah, I don't think so…" She giggled, holding it up in the air away from him.

"Don't make me come on that side of the counter," He threatened playfully.

"What if I do?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I don't think we want to get to that step," He crossed his arms.

"You have no idea what you'll do, do you?" She asked, cracking a smile.

"None whatsoever," He answered bluntly, putting his arms down at his sides, smiling a bit.

**Author's Note**- Wasn't that just a cute chapter? Well, if you thought so, why don't you say so? That little review button is right down there, just waiting to be clicked. And if you didn't think it was that cute, just review anyway. I usually don't agree with peer pressure, but do it! Do it! (of course you don't have to if you really don't want to, I won't be mad or anything, promise). And by the way, if you're totally lost about what that "fuzzy image" was, it was her sonogram. More later!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**- The usual. Not mine, blah, blah, blah.

**Warning**- I insinuate that there's a little, err, _further than kissing_ going on in this chapter. Just watch out in the flashback if it makes you uncomfortable.

Chapta SEVEN, baby!

Lorelai sighed as she stepped out of the taxi cab and walked inside her house. She shrugged off her coat and the maid took it. She could hear her mom yammering on the phone about how her daughter was pregnant. How she always knew that Lorelai was a bit off and didn't exactly embrace the Gilmore world, but she never expected she'd do this. And now, oh, _now_, she wouldn't even marry Christopher, the baby's FATHER. She sighed angrily as she listened in on her mom's conversation with who-knows-who.

Getting fed up, she stomped into the room her mother was in. She could care less whether she was on the phone or not or whether she was being "rude".

"Y'know mom, I didn't get pregnant just to spite you! I didn't do it on purpose to be an _inconvenience_!" She shouted, letting it all out. "We didn't PLAN for this to happen. But apparently, I've been told everything happens for a reason."

Then she ran out, slamming the door behind her and went up to her room. She bounced down onto her bed, frustrated. She thought about everything. With all the fuss everyone was making, maybe it would just be easier to marry Chris…no! She didn't want that. She knew it. She rolled over onto her stomach and got lost in her thoughts.

_(flashback)_

_She was at one of those painfully dull Gilmore parties they were famous for. She was wearing a fancy sapphire blue sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline and poofy, knee-length skirt. Her hair was in an impressive updo and her makeup was over-applied to the T. She crossed her arms over her chest and sunk lower into her seat on the couch. _

_"Mom, can I go upstairs?" She whined._

_"Fine Lorelai, fine," She sighed, swatting her away like a mosquito._

_She went upstairs and slipped off her heels. There was a small tap at the window…then another…and another. She crossed over to her window and opened it. Her face lit up at the sight of Christopher standing in the driveway. He waved._

_"Hey Chris, do you remember the way to get out through the back yard?" She called down to him._

_"How could I forget?" He asked, smiling._

_"Meet me down there in 5," She ordered._

_He nodded and then she closed the window. She carefully went downstairs, weaving through the crowds, making sure to avoid her parents._

_She slipped out the back and made a pit stop in the pool hose. She went into the refrigerator and grabbed a large, half-full bottle. She sniffed it. She tried to smell if it was still good or not, but she couldn't really tell, since she didn't know what it should smell like anyway. She jogged out the door and carefully scaled the wall to find Chris waiting on the other side. He helped her down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as the two of them walked to his fancy car._

_They drove to another large house and slipped inside. Lorelai immediately uncapped her father's whiskey and too a swig. She passed it around and then took it back._

_After dancing, talking, and laughing for hours, Chris pulled Lorelai aside. She had drunk some more of the whiskey, but she wasn't totally smashed or drunk yet. She was just beginning to feel the buzz. Chris led her up the stairs. She smiled as he kissed her ear. Then they stumbled into one of the many bedrooms and began heavily making out. They were getting caught in the heat of it when Lorelai pulled back slightly, resting her hands on Chris's chest, whose attire seemed so plain compared to what she was wearing._

_"Chris, I love you," She revealed, looking him in the eyes._

_"I love you, too," He replied tenderly, kissing her fingertips._

_Then they started to kiss again and Chris began to unzip her dress as she pulled Chris' t-shirt over his head._

_Lorelai and Chris laid there, her head on his chest._

_"I love you," He said quietly._

_"I love you too," She replied, smiling._

_Then they both realized they should get up. Lorelai got up first, adjusting her dress and running a hand over her now-mussed hair. She sighed and waited as Christopher got everything together. Then they walked downstairs together and he drove her home. _

_The two of them kissed goodbye quickly in the driveway before Lorelai began to climb the tree as she had done so many times before._

_(end flashback)_

Lorelai sighed at the memory. At the time, she didn't realize what the hell she was going to be getting into only a few months later.

--------

Luke prepared for another day of school as he boarded the bus with his sister. He got off and trudged into school, saying 'hey' to his friends and then going to his locker. Liz had followed him. She leaned against the locker next to his and crossed her arms.

"You're still going out with that chick?" Liz asked, nodding toward a picture of an auburn-haired girl in his locker.

"Yes, I'm still going out with that _chick_," He snapped.

"I know, I know…her name's Rachel, blah, blah, blah. But seriously, what's been going on with you lately? You seem a little spacey, I figured you & Rachel might be on the rocks or somethin'" She asked, shrugging.

"We're not on the rocks, and there's nothing wrong with me," He replied, slamming his locker closed a little harder than necessary.

**Author's Note**- That's the end of chapter 7. I know I left it on sort of a "mysterious/boring" note, but I had already written a lot so I wanted to save some for the next chapter. Review if possible, please!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**- sigh Every time I do this it's just another depressing reminder of how I don't own GG and can't fast-forward to the freaking LL wedding that HAS to happen!

Luke waited outside for the bus home, since the track season was finally over. Rachel slowly walked up next to him.

"Before you leave, we should talk about something," She said.

"What?" He asked.

"Well. I'm not sure how to put this…but maybe we should split up," She replied.

"What?..." Luke asked, turning to face her.

"You've been a little out of it lately, and I was just thinking maybe we shouldn't be together anymore…And also, I'm moving away," She explained.

"Geez, I am _not_ out of it!" He replied, frustrated. "Moving? Where?"

"Uhm, California," She answered.

"Wow, California, well, that's, uh…that's pretty far," Luke sputtered.

"Yeah, and the long distance thing _never_ works, and I don't know when I'll be back. And I truthfully don't know how much longer we would be together even if I wasn't moving," She replied.

"You sure?" He asked.

She nodded.

"When are you moving?" He asked again.

"Next week," She replied simply.

"Oh. Well, good luck," Luke replied.

"Thanks," Rachel smiled.

They hugged.

"And good luck with…whoever she is," She smiled.

Luke shook his head as she walked away, and then caught his bus at the last minute, catching one of the last seats available. He stared out the window the whole ride home. Liz might've been his "annoying" sister, but she knew that he needed his space, and decided she'd ask him about it later.

They got home and Luke sighed, reporting to the counter like he did every other day.

-------

Lorelai took her usual route to the hardware store and barged through the door noisily, her stomach entering first. She casually leaned on the counter and just stared.

"What's up with you, Danes?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Nothing. Why does everyone think there's something wrong with me?" He asked.

She raised her eyebrows and gave him her famous, "oh please, you've got to be kidding me" look.

"Fine. I broke up with my girlfriend," He shrugged.

"Girlfriend, huh? Well, it's a bad time for relationships all around. Me & Chris are over too," She replied, munching on some Oreos she'd bought at Doose's.

She held the package out, offering it to him.

"I don't eat that crap," He crossed his arms.

"Fine, more for me," She shrugged.

"Lemme guess, you like to dunk Oreos in your coffee, which is a lethal combination, thus dooming your baby?" He asked.

"Oh my God! Luke! I've never thought of that! You're a genius!" She hopped up and down while Luke shook his head.

"What have I done?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Seriously, Luke, I'm going to have to ask you to eat an Oreo. Just do it," She replied, with her most serious face on.

"No," He crossed his arms.

"Yes," She added.

"No," He repeated.

"_Yes_," She said again, sounding desperate and hopeless.

"Fine," He sighed deeply.

"Yay!" She squealed, shoving the bag in his face.

Luke fished out an Oreo and held it as though it was dusted with anthrax. He looked at it in disgust and then put it in his mouth quickly. He chewed it for a few seconds with a look of pure horror on his face, then it changed to a sort of blank contentment. He gulped it down.

"So?..." She leaned forward expectantly.

"Not bad," He shrugged.

"Not bad!" She cried loudly, jumping up and down happily. "I'm gonna turn you into a junkie by the end of the week!...Hey, you never know, by Friday I could have you drinking coffee."

"I'd like to see you try," He smirked.

"Oh, I will," She nodded.

"Good luck," He nodded back.

**Author's Note**- More to come. I know most of you would probably like my chapters to be more _juicy_, but they're just getting familiar with each other and used to the routine. They're teenagers and Lorelai's pregnant, so it can't just be like she walks into the store and they just start making out. But it will get more interesting soon. Good things come to those who wait. Review please!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer- **GG still isn't mine, and why the frig can't Luke & Lorelai just kiss and make up!!?? (sorry, I understand that that wouldn't be realistic, but I get kinda worked up & GG just isn't gonna be as much the same for me without the L/L for a while…since they've been together (most of the time, at least) during like the past 2 seasons).

Btw, I know that I'm making the whole pregnancy thing go a little fast in the time period that I'm in, and I understand that Lorelai wouldn't be _that_ big already, but just go along with it please! I'm **trying** to make this as realistic as possible, but there's always a point where it just gets more fiction-y for the sake of the plot & to keep up the pace of the story.

Chapta NINE!

Lorelai's trips to the hardware store had become a routine now. She always went after her appointment, then went to some little place called Weston's to get coffee (after, of course, stopping at Doose's to get Oreos). Since she was taking "time off" from school (and having an hour of tutoring-homeschooling a day, _yawn_), she had scheduled an appointment earlier in the day.

After patiently going through all the tests and procedures to make sure everything was as it's supposed to be, she left. She knew Luke wouldn't be there, but she decided to take a trip to the hardware store. She crashed through the door haphazardly, since she had become even less graceful these days than normal.

"Hello," She greeted cheerfully, waddling over to her spot on the counter.

"Oh, hello Lorelai, I didn't expect to be seeing you this early, Luke isn't here, you know," He replied, his warm smile reaching all the way up to his kind eyes.

"I know, I figured he's at school, but I just wanted to come," She shrugged.

"Well I enjoy your company," He nodded.

"Thank you, I can't say yours too bad, either," She grinned.

After about 5 minutes of being silent and William shuffling around peacefully, Lorelai decided to speak.

"What was Luke like when he was younger?" She asked out of nowhere.

"Oh…ha, Luke was definitely a helper. He was always fixing things. Not only in the maintenance sense, either," He replied. "One time, a boy…Jimmy Reeds, I think his name was, told Liz he didn't want to be her "boyfriend" anymore and called her weird. Luke chased him all the way down the street until the boy had to jump the fence to get away, he almost punched the kid. And Liz was in first grade, mind you."

Lorelai let out a mix between a scoff and a giggle.

"He was always slightly…aloof, but very protective. He was so good at sports. So many kids wanted to hang around him and so many girls wanted to go out with him, but he wasn't into that jock & popularity scene, so he stayed away from it. Said he'd play the sports, but didn't want all those kids around him and treating him like a god. No frills," He explained.

"Aah, but what's this about this Rachel girl?" She asked curiously.

"Well, she's a nice girl, very flighty though, I hear. She's different, not in a bad way. She likes taking pictures, but Luke isn't really into having his picture taken all that much. She's such a sweet girl, and she's quirky as well. Not really the type I'd picture Luke with, but I don't mind since she's a nice girl. But those two are over, I just hope they're both alright," He answered.

Lorelai nodded.

Lorelai hadn't noticed how long she and William had been talking until Luke and Liz cam walking through the door, their backpacks sagging on their shoulders. Luke brightened.

"Hey dad," Liz greeted.

"Hey Liz, hi Luke," He replied.

"Hi dad," Luke added.

"Hi, I'm Lorelai," Lorelai greeted in Liz's general direction.

"Liz, obviously," She replied, shaking Lorelai's hand.

"So, did things ever work out with Jimmy Reeds?" She questioned to Liz out of the blue.

Liz smiled and laughed, while Luke scowled and scoffed slightly.

Then Liz went upstairs, but Luke stayed. He went to go behind the counter and start working, but his dad put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Luke, why don't you take a break," His father suggested.

"But you need me," He reasoned.

"I'm not _that_ old," He shrugged.

"Fine," Luke sighed, though he was actually relieved.

"Ohmygod, Luke!" Lorelai shrieked. "There's this place with awesome coffee and you're coming with me."

She had also grabbed his hand in excitement. And she was still holding it.

"You know I hate coffee," He replied bluntly.

"Yeah, but come on! Just do it…for me?" She pouted and batted her eyelashes as his dad chuckled.

"Fine, whatever," Luke shook his head.

Lorelai grabbed a tighter hold on his hand and yanked him out the door. She dragged him further down the street and they found themselves in Weston's. She still hadn't dropped Luke's hand from her grasp.

"So, this is it. Now pick something," Lorelai announced to him.

A lull of silence fell over them as they both contemplated what to order. Then it dawned on them that Lorelai was still holding his hand. They both glanced down furtively at their clasped hands then let go, turning a few different shades of pink. They shuffled about a foot further apart. Lorelai stepped up to the counter.

"Hi Mrs. Weston, I'd like a large coffee and one of those big chocolate chip cookies," She ordered happily.

"Alright, and please, call me _Fran_," She replied.

Lorelai pushed Luke forward towards the counter.

"Ehh, I'm not getting anything," He turned back to her.

"Fine," She sighed. "Fran, he'll have a _medium-sized_ macadamia nut cookie."

"Okay," She chuckled.

Then they walked over to a small table and sat down.

"So how's it goin' with the family?" Luke asked.

"Okay. Not really great," She replied truthfully.

"How are they about everything?" He asked.

"Well, they think I'm being _terribly inconvenient_," Lorelai answered in her best Emily Gilmore voice. "I swear, once this thing comes out I'm moving away from there."

"Really?" He asked.

"Uh-huh," She replied.

"That's some heavy stuff. That's a big plan. Any idea where you'd move?" He asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I'm not sure. Probably some place small, far away from Hartford," She nodded heavily.

Then their stuff was ready. Luke helped Lorelai bring it back to the table. After they had taken some bites and sips, Lorelai spoke up.

"Hey Luke…" She began.

"What?" He asked.

"Why don't you try this?" She offered, sliding her cup toward him.

"No. I don't drink coffee," He sighed.

"Just do it," She pleaded. "Pleeeeeease."

He picked up her cup and took the smallest sip humanly possible. He made the most unappealing face after he swallowed it.

"Not your thing?" She asked.

"No. I think I'll stick to Oreos," He smirked.

She smiled back.

**Author's Note**- I told you she'd have Luke drinking coffee! More soon. Review if you can/want to.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry about the long wait. I'm a slave to the high school work ethic, sigh

Pssh, I've stopped with the disclaimers now. You should all know by now that I don't own GG.

Chapter TEN, baby! Double Digits!

Fast Forward!

Lorelai was in her 7th month of pregnancy and she was miserable. Her feet were completely swollen and it was such a pain to leave the house. She had even stopped going to the hardware store after appointments because it was such a chore and she didn't want Luke to see her like this with all the waddling and no makeup on. Even though she knew he wouldn't care, she'd just be uncomfortable.

She sat in a beanbag chair, wistfully staring out the window. She could be out there like other girls her age. Out there having fun, playing games, flirting with boys, going on dates, laughing and dancing. But she couldn't. She had this huge growth in her stomach area and had to pee every five minutes, yes, that would be quite a conversation starter with the guys.

She crossed her arms and stood up, frustrated. She was angry with herself. She looked around. It was her "perfect" room in her "perfect" life. She always promised herself that she would never stay on the path her parents were pushing her down, but she wouldn't have thought in a million years that this would be what she ended up with. She wanted to stray away from her parents and the life they wanted for her, but she didn't think it'd be happening so soon. Suddenly, overtaken with rage, she picked up one of her embroidered pillows and chucked it across her room. Then she grabbed her comforter and ripped it off the bed, wrapping it up in a ball and throwing it as far as she could. She yanked off the sheets and then made her way over to her dresser and vanity. She paused and took one wavering glance at herself in the mirror. Then she angrily knocked everything off of her dresser onto the floor. She began pulling out pieces of clothing and throwing them all over the place. Shoes were flying everywhere. Once she was finished, she stood in the center of the ruin that was supposed to be her bedroom. She was breathing heavily, and her ponytail was now loose and messy, with numerous pieces hanging out.

She took a seat on her now-bare mattress and sighed, wiping away a stray tear. She laid down and stared at her ceiling. Her life was _not_ going as planned.

-------

Luke was bustling around the hardware store, putting away random do-dads and tools. Lorelai hadn't stopped there in a while. He figured she was busy. Since the break-up with Rachel and not seeing Lorelai, he had made himself busy. Spring track training was beginning, so he was doing that. He had also started taking little odd-jobs around town to make money. Nothing major, usually just fixing problems that people could fix themselves, but they were too lazy.

He was walking down the street to a new job when he spotted Sookie St. James. He had seen her around school before, but they weren't really in the same "groups" so he didn't really know her. She had fiery hair and fair-ish skin. She was plump, but had a very cute face. She waved, so he returned it. He kept walking until he arrived at Miss Patty's house. He sighed as he went up to the door. He knocked, and then not too long after, the door opened.

"Oh, hello dear," She greeted.

"Hi Miss Patty," He sighed.

"I didn't expect you so soon," She replied.

"Well, here I am. What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Well, you see my picket fence over there? The paint is chipping and I think it could use a little touch up, if it isn't too much trouble," She explained.

"Nope, I can do it," He replied.

Though he wasn't thrilled about living out one of Miss Patty's thoroughly inappropriate Huck Finn fantasies, he was getting paid. So he grabbed the extra paint cans from the garage and got to work.

After about an hour of painting Miss Patty's fence, he finally stood up to leave. He got paid and then walked back to the hardware store. He sighed as he walked through the door.

"So, how was the job?" His dad asked.

"I won't be surprised if Miss Patty asks me to show up in Peter Pan tights next time," Luke grumbled.

"Well you got paid didn't you?" His dad asked him rhetorically, chuckling.

"Not sure if it was worth it though," Luke remarked as he descended up the stairs.

He plopped down on his bed. He wondered when Lorelai would come back. _Would it be while she was still pregnant? Would she show up with the baby? Would she wait for years to show up in Stars Hollow again? And if so, would she remember him?_

Luke shushed his thoughts and managed to find sleep.

-------

Lorelai still sat in the midst of her destroyed room. She glanced around and shook her head. _Was she going insane?_ She crawled over to her lamp that barely escaped destruction and switched it off. Then she curled up on the mattress and drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note**- Yes, a little short, I'm sorry. Ooh, angsty Lorelai this chapter! Please, just don't drown me in comments about how "out of character" this is for her, because she's a teenager and she's PREGNANT. But I don't wanna whine about it, I'll take your reviews and work with 'em. Any suggestions to make it better or comments on anything, feel free to add. I'll post ASAP.


	11. Chapter 11

**Luke-and-LorelaiLuva6292**, you're way too smart!

We're kind of in a fast-forwarding time period right now. Sorry if you're confused. I'm changing the GG timeline a bit, since this is my AU.

Chapter ELEVENNNN!

Lorelai stepped out of the taxi cab and heaved a large sigh. She was standing by the "Welcome to Stars Hollow" sign. Lorelai breathed in a big breath of fresh Stars Hollow air. She was holding luggage in one hand and a toddler's hand in the other. She had to stay in her parents' house longer than desired and planned. She was forced to wait until her daughter, also named Lorelai (aka Rory), was two years old.

Her luggage was huge, since of course, it was Lorelai Gilmore, AND she had her daughter's stuff in there too. She dragged it down the sidewalk and into a building lobby. It was small and kitschy. Not long after, a middle-aged looking woman entered from a back room.

"Hello, Lorelai Gilmore?" The woman greeted, confirming her name and thrusting out her hand.

"The one and only," She replied, shaking her hand and then getting Rory situated with a seat and a juicebox.

"Good, good. So you called about an apartment," She leaned forward on her desk.

"Yes, see, I just moved here, with a limited amount of money from my parents and no place to live," She explained.

"Hmm. Well, how limited is that balance of yours?" She asked.

"Very limited," Lorelai nodded grimly.

"Okay, well, I think we might be able to help you with that one. See, Stars Hollow is a very close-knit town. They're very welcoming -well, except for a certain diner owner, but that's beside the point- so, once everyone gets to know you, they'll help you out. And there are so many job opportunities here," The woman in the blazer said with a chuckle.

"That sounds great," Lorelai sighed.

"Yes. So, let's show you around one of our apartments and we'll see if you at least have enough for the down payment," She smiled, standing.

"Alrighty," Lorelai smiled.

She grabbed Rory's hand and the three of them drove just down the road to a pretty small apartment. They walked through. It was very open. The only room with a door was the bathroom. The kitchen flowed into the living room and then there was just an empty doorway into the bedroom. It was plain but cute, and the interior decorating was very simple, but it had a certain charm to it.

"It's perfect," Lorelai nodded.

"Great. So why don't we go back to my office and work something out?" The woman suggested.

"Sounds great," Lorelai agreed.

-------

Luke stood behind the counter, sighing. It had been about 2 and a half years since he'd seen Lorelai. Too much had happened since then. He thought about her a lot, but he was also keeping himself busy. He glanced around at the people sitting at the tables chatting and reading and eating. It wasn't a hardware store anymore. His father had died. He was good at fixing things, but horrible at owning an actual hardware store, so he changed it. It would also be much too painful to have to work in his father's hardware store every day. He had turned it into 'Luke's Diner', but still left the 'William's Hardware' sign up.

He wiped down the counter vigorously, as Kirk sat at one end, picking out the nuts and berries from his muffin and separating them into two piles. Luke shook his head at him. Kirk also sipped his orange juice, constantly gagging from the pulp as a cat would on a hairball. It was very unappealing, and it was driving people out of the diner. Luke could sell tickets, 'See The Lunatic Cat-Sounding-Man', they would read across the top.

Luke rolled his eyes and adjusted his baseball cap.

-------

Lorelai sighed happily as she dropped her luggage smack dab in the center of their new living room.

"This is home, baby," She announced, to both herself and Rory.

Though Rory was only 2 years old, she was already reading at around a first grade level. Lorelai set Rory down on the couch, handed her a Winnie The Pooh 'I Can Read By Myself' book, and popped in her favorite Rainbow Brite tape that she had secretly requested the maid to tape behind her mother's back. Then she dragged the bags into the bedroom. She looked around and noticed that something was slightly amiss. There was only one bed in the center of the room. One full bed. There was nowhere for Rory to sleep. And she knew Rory would throw a fit if she had to sleep in the same bed as her mother. She loved her mom, but she could almost form sentences as good as a Kindergartener, and she'd still be sleeping with her mommy? She thought not.

Lorelai thought about her dilemma. Her choices were quite limited, and she had a large inkling that Rory would not fit in a dog bed. She sighed and leaned back on the bed, getting lost in her thoughts.

She remembered when she had Rory.

_(flashback)_

_Lorelai sat in the back of her father's car, writhing in pain. She had been interrupted by contractions while watching Hollywood Squares, so she was already obviously frustrated, but the shooting pains didn't help either. She cried in anguish, screaming a few choice words and even some little expletives she'd made up herself. She shouted at the driver, demanding that he go 40 over the speed limit and go into the carpool lane to get there faster. _

_Once they finally arrived at the hospital, she was greeted at the ER door by a grinning Christopher._

"_Hey," He greeted, grabbing her hand and jogging beside the wheelchair._

"_What the hell are you smiling about?" She cried, twisting in pain and squeezing his hand tighter than humanly possible._

_Chris quieted and tried to comfort her as they made their way down the hallway and into the birthing room._

_They transferred her onto the bed and she began pushing immediately. _

"_Get this damn thing out of me!" She screamed, grabbing the doctor by the collar of his scrubs._

"_We're gonna need you to push as hard as possible, Lorelai," He doctor simply replied, unfazed._

_Lorelai kept pushing at the urge of her doctors and nurses, while Chris held her hand and squeezed her shoulder._

"_C'mon Lore, you can do it," Christopher encouraged._

"_Christopher, I'm gonna kill you! I hate you! I'm never having babies ever again!" She announced.  
_

_Then a loud siren-like cry came from her lower region, which was obscured by a sheet. The doctor was holding a wriggling form in his arms while a nurse wiped it with a towel. It was covered in blood and bodily fluids and was emitting a high-pitched sound. _

"_Where's the off switch?!" Lorelai demanded, still agitated._

"_Lorelai, this is your baby girl," The nurse announced happily, passing the newborn over to her as the whole room cheered._

"_Ohmygod," Lorelai gaped, tears forming in her eyes, and glanced up at Chris. "She's beautiful."_

"_Yes, she it," Chris agreed._

"_What's your name choice?" Another nurse holding paperwork asked._

"_Lorelai…Lorelai Leigh," She confirmed._

"_Beautiful name," The doctor nodded as Lorelai handed the infant off to the nurse to be taken care of._

"_Yes, it is…Now sedate me!" She demanded._

_(end flashback)_

Yes, she would remember that day forever. Definitely like doing splits on a crate of dynamite.

**Author's Note**- Rory's here! L/L interaction next chapter, I think. Heh, so much for keeping you guys in suspense. More ASAP! R & R


	12. Chapter 12

(nothing informative or witty to add up here…)

Chapter ELEVEN!

After getting some of their stuff settled, Lorelai decided to go out and re-discover Stars Hollow. She grabbed a pack of fruit snacks and zipped Rory up in a light jacket, since there was a twinge of Fall in the air. She held her daughter's hand and led her out the door. They walked past a moderately-sized building with a sign reading "Kim's Antiques". On the porch they saw a girl who must've been Rory's age with ear-length jet black hair and a hideous floral-print dress with long sleeves that reached her Mary Jane-clad feet and had lace around the collar. She was sitting in a rocking chair and squirming uncomfortably while her mother was placing a large copy of the 'Unrevised Children's Bible' on her lap and a cup of tea next to her.

Rory waved timidly and the little girl waved back, smiling, ignoring her mother for a second.

Lorelai kept guiding Rory down the sidewalks curiously. She drifted to a certain side of the street. She pretended that she wasn't actually looking for any place in particular or that she didn't have any reason to be looking for a certain Hardware store, but she was and she did. She walked down the sidewalk with Rory's small hand clutched in hers, both of them taking everything in.

But when she finally reached where the store had been, it was no longer there. She frowned, but still looked at the outside with curiosity. It seemed to have been turned into a diner of some sort, but the 'William's Hardware' sign was still up. She shrugged her shoulders and entered, thinking '_Why not?_'

She glanced around at the eclectic mix of people sitting and chatting away. She took a seat confidently at the counter and lifted Rory up onto the stool next to her as well. It was then when she realized how hungry and caffeine-deprived she was. There was no coffee pot at the house, and she probably needed to worry about getting her daughter a bed before buying a coffee maker.

She grabbed a menu nearby and skimmed over it, but realized she needed coffee before anything else.

"Hey, excuse me!" She called loudly to the man behind the counter, who was taking the order of another person further down.

He ignored her.

"Excuse me! Hey! Can I get some coffee down here?! Please?" She added irritably.

The man waved her off and shouted for her to wait her turn while he continued talking to the other customer.

"Listen man, I need some coffee in me quick! Like…now!" She cried desperately.

He still ignored her, though her incessant obnoxious rambling about coffee caused him to remember a girl he had known years ago.

Lorelai was now standing and swinging her arms around like she was landing a plane. "Coffee! Over here!"

"Look! You're being annoying. Now sit down, shut up, and I'll get to you when-" He began to rant, but they caught a good look at her face.

"Lorelai?" He asked, completely blindsided.

"No way! Luke?" She asked, wide-eyed.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, gaping.

"You own a _diner_?" She asked in response.

"Well yeah. So, do you happen to want coffee?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"Well gee, I don't know…YES! GIVE ME THE COFFEE!" She cried, grabbing his shirt desperately.

"You need to calm down," Luke rolled his eyes.

"I can't help it, coffee's my drug. I'm showing withdrawal symptoms," She shrugged, grinning goofily.

Then Luke spotted the small brunette sitting on the stool next to her, obliviously chewing her fruit snacks and not blinking an eye at her mother's outrageous outcry for coffee, as though she was used to it by now.

"Oh my God," Luke gasped, using a phrase that seldom came out of his mouth. "Is that…her?"

"Well, it's not a he," Lorelai laughed. "Yeah, it's my daughter, Rory. The thing that was living in that growth on my stomach for nine months."

"Wow," He nodded.

"Yeah. Hey Rory, I'd like you to meet somebody," Lorelai shook Rory's shoulder.

"Uh, hi, I'm Luke," He greeted, sticking out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Rory," Her tiny voice greeted confidently, placing her small hand in his and shaking.

Rory smiled kindly and Luke smiled warmly, but awkwardly as well.

"Okay, now Luke- coffee. Get on that!" Lorelai cut in, breaking up the moment.

"Right," He said, then went to pour her a cup of coffee.

Once he handed her the coffee, she greedily took two sips, and then handed the large mug to her daughter. She sipped it, trying to look sophisticated even though the cup obscured half of her face.

"You give that poison to your daughter?" Luke asked incredulously.

Lorelai shrugged.

"We should talk later," Lorelai ignored his last comment.

"I'll take off for a while around 12:30," Luke checked his watch.

------

At around 12:40, Lorelai came back into the diner and sat at the same spot. She recognized it as the spot she has stood and leaned day after day in the hardware store.

"Caesar, I'm taking off for a few," Luke called into the kitchen.

"Got it boss!" He replied.

Then the two of them went outside and began casually walking down the sidewalk.

"I never pictured you as the 'diner' type," Lorelai began.

"Well, I couldn't keep the hardware store going. One: I can fix things, but can't run a hardware store, and Two: It was my dad's place, and I didn't have the heart to keep it going after he d-…" Luke started to reply but couldn't finish.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry," Lorelai had to stop herself from rubbing his back comfortingly, she had just re-met him & didn't want to scare him off.

"Yeah, it's alright. So, you live here now or what?" He asked.

"Yup, I just moved here today actually," She nodded.

"Stars Hollow's a nice place. Well…I'm not gonna lie. The people are crazy and drive me insane, but it's my home. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. And love it," He replied.

"I think you just called me weird," She replied with mock hurt and lightly smacked him on the arm.

Luke laughed, not completely protesting against the accusation.

Then they went on talking and re-getting to know each other. They continued their friendly chatter until Lorelai realized she needed to pick up Rory.

"Oh, I've gotta go, I told the sitter I'd be back by now," Lorelai checked Luke's watch.

"Who'd you leave her with?" He asked.

"This lady, very friendly, named Miss Patty," She replied.

"Rory's gonna be traumatized, I guarantee it," Luke nodded.

"I sure hope so," Lorelai replied sarcastically. "Knock some street smarts into the kid."

Luke shook his head and watched her walk away. He chuckled lightly and walked back to the diner.

**Author's Note**- Yay! Re-meeting! And I semi-recreated the first time they met, since I thought it was cute. But I wouldn't have been able to add in the horoscope part since he would've noticed her before. But I still think that it was crazy how both of us (me & Luke-and-LorelaiLuva6292) had the same idea about waiting a couple years. I guess great minds think alike. Review if you've got something to say!


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, in this chap, she goes for an interview at the Independence Inn, but none of the characters are going to be the same, since I suck with names.

Chapter THIRTEEN.

Lorelai had only been in Stars Hollow for 3 days, but she had already made going to Luke's a part of her daily routine. She was sitting at a table cutting Rory's blueberry pancakes when she spotted Luke fixing a shelf behind the counter. Then she hatched an idea.

"Hey Luke!" She called.

"What?" He walked over after finishing the shelf.

"I happen to know a certain blue-eyed, brown-haired, two-year-old daughter of someone that could use a bed…" She raised her eyebrows.

"You need me to make a bed?" He asked bluntly.

"It doesn't need to be big. Just really simple, base, headboard, footboard-WAIT! It doesn't even need a footboard. Nothing fancy. Please, please, please, please, pleas," She begged.

"Fine…and it's getting a footboard," He replied.

"Oh, thank you! You're a god!" She announced.

Luke rolled his eyes, "I'm doing this for Rory, not you. After being dumped with Miss Patty by her careless mother the least she deserves is a bed."

"Fine, then you're not a god anymore," She crossed her arms in a mock grudge.

"Okay. Then no bed," Luke shrugged bluntly.

"I'll put in a good word with Athena," She quickly changed her tone and grinned wider than a Cheshire cat up at him, while her eyes begged.

"I was never _not_ gonna do it," He rolled his eyes.

"Can I have a small coffee?" She asked.

"For Rory?" He asked.

"Maybe," She looked down.

"No," He deadpanned.

"Hey Rory, what do you want this morning?" She asked her daughter.

"Coffee!" Rory squealed happily in reply.

"You've brainwashed your daughter and now you're trying to poison her," Luke muttered while going to get the coffee pot.

"You drank it once!" She cried after him.

"One time. And you forced me," Luke argued.

"I did not _force_ you!" She denied.

"You used 'the pout'," Luke crossed his arms, stating it as though it was a magic trick.

"Well now I know what works on you," Lorelai commented. "…Dirty, sorry."

"Just a little," Luke agreed, then began to pour Rory what was most likely the smallest cup of coffee possible.

Lorelai checked her watch and then realized she should probably go. She had a job interview at some Inn place.

"Here's the address," She scrawled it down and then grabbed Rory's hand.

They left the diner and headed down the street.

-------

Lorelai looked around as she walked, still in amazement of the home-y, coziness of Stars Hollow. She walked into a building resembling a large house. She looked around cautiously, not sure what to expect.

She made her way over to the front desk, which was abandoned.

"Hello?" She called out, waiting for a response.

"Oh hello dear," A woman replied.

"Hi. I'm here for my job review," She answered.

"Oh nice, come into my office," The woman nodded, urging her in.

Lorelai entered and took a seat parallel to the older woman.

"So, Lorelai Gilmore, is it?" She asked, as Lorelai nodded. "Do you have any prior experience?"

"Well, uh, no, not really…But I'm really good with people! And If I suck, I'll totally understand if you fire me, but you should give me a chance! I really need this job!" Lorelai rambled.

"Alright, alright," The woman chuckled.

"Okay," Lorelai sighed and swept a piece of hair out of her face.

"Well, you seem very lively," She laughed.

"Oh I am! I could put on a Vaudeville show at the drop of a hat if required!" She nodded heavily and laughed nervously.

"No, not now," She chuckled once more. "But I believe that'll be all. I'll call you about the job."

"Great, thank you," Lorelai stood and shook her hand.

"Why thank _you_!" She smiled kindly.

Lorelai walked out of the Inn and let out an exasperated sigh, smoothing out any invisible lines on her pants. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and took Rory's hand. They walked back to their apartment and it was time for Rory's nap.

While Rory was sleeping, there was a knock on the door. Lorelai stood up from her seat at the small table and opened it. It revealed Luke, standing with his toolbox.

"Luke!" She greeted, causing him to jump a little.

"Hey," He nodded.

"What took you so long?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"Oh please," Luke rolled his eyes.

Luke set his toolbox down on her kitchen table.

"So where is this bed gonna be?" He asked.

"In the corner of my room," She shrugged.

"Okay, because I still need to buy the lumber," Luke replied. "So I'll be right back, and don't break anything in my toolbox."

After Luke left, Lorelai stared at the toolbox for about 10 minutes.

"You look like a Bert," She said to it, petting it, then went to check on Rory.

After about 20 minutes, Luke returned, carrying numerous pieces of wood. He found Lorelai sitting on the living room floor, with all of his tools spread out around her as she toyed with each one.

"Didn't I tell you?…" Luke began.

"I didn't break anything! And I can't help it if I wanted to play with your toys," She giggled.

"Dirty," He crossed his arms.

"I know…but it's okay! Bert said I could!" She defended herself.

"Bert?" Luke looked at her quizzically.

"Well…He looked like a Bert, so I named him Bert. And then he looked at me and said, 'Hey Lorelai, can you relieve me of some of this weight? It's killing me!' He was practically _begging_, I couldn't say no, you should've seen the look on his face!" She explained whimsically, while Luke looked at her like she was crazy.

"You're crazy," He shook his head, and grabbed the tools he would need.

"But you love me anyway," Lorelai shrugged.

He headed into Lorelai's room with the tools and wood and got to work. After about 2½ hours, Luke emerged.

"Okay, I just finished with the frame. Now all I have to do is put on the mattress and make sure it's sturdy," He explained, his hands moving animatedly.

"Okay," Lorelai nodded, a small smile playing on her lips at how cautious he was being.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," She shrugged.

"Okay…then I'll just go…finish my job," He said, turning and going back to finish the bed.

Lorelai plopped down onto the couch and flipped it on to a 'Jack LaLane Power Juicer' infomercial. She shrugged and watched it out of boredom, while Rory still slept silently next to her. After watching him juice pickles, apples, carrots, pineapples, and some things that weren't even food, she got bored and switched it off, leaning her head against the wall in boredom.

"It's done," Luke announced.

"Oh good," Lorelai, stood up.

"Come see it," He waved her into the room.

Lorelai's jaw dropped. It was perfect. A simple single, child-sized bed, but the headboard was amazing. It was shaped like an open book. Not too over-the-top, just right.

"Oh my God, Luke, it's perfect," Lorelai gasped, while an expression of accomplishment spread across Luke's face.

"Thanks," He nodded.

"I need to show Rory!" She said, then proceeded to go into the living room and shake Rory awake.

She grabbed her hand and guided her into the bedroom.

"Rory, look at your new bed!" Lorelai pointed.

"Wow, I love it!" Rory said, getting excited.

"Yeah it's great," Lorelai nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much, Luke!" Rory chirped, hugging Luke's leg tightly.

"No problem," Luke smiled.

Then Rory let go and grabbed her favorite book and sat on her bed to read it. Lorelai and Luke went into the living room. Lorelai sat on the couch while Luke gathered up his tools. Once he was finished, Lorelai patted the seat next to her, and Luke sat down.

"She really loves it, Luke," She smiled.

"Yeah, well I wasn't sure exactly how it was gonna turn out, at first my measurements got a little botched and the details on the headboard weren't exactly symmetrical…"Luke began.

"Luke, stop it. You did a great job. Probably a better job than all the people in Stars Hollow combined could do. Definitely better than the people in Hartford," Lorelai nodded.

"Well, I do as well as I can. And if anything goes wrong with the bed, just call me, I'll fix it whenever," He promised.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, but thanks," She smiled.

"Ok good," Luke nodded. "Well, I better get back to the diner."

"Alright. And thanks a lot, Luke. I owe you one, definitely," She said.

"Don't mention it, you don't owe me anything," He shook his head.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," She said.

"Yeah, see ya," He replied, grabbed his toolbox and headed to the door.

"Bye Bert!" She called, and Luke left, chuckling under his breath and rolling his eyes.

**Author's Note:** That's all for now. I promise to post more over this week's break. Review : )


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter FOURTEEN

Lorelai practically had to yank Rory up that morning, since she loved her new bed so much. Once Rory had finally gotten dressed, they walked to Luke's. They took a table this time, since Rory had brought coloring books and it would take up more room.

"Hey," She greeted when Luke came by their table.

"Oh, hey," He replied, while his hands were full of plates.

Once he delivered his last plate, he settled in front of their table.

"Lemme guess, coffee…"Luke began.

"And blueberry pancakes, fries, and a strawberry muffin," She replied.

"You're gonna die," He shook his head.

"But at least I won't be hungry," She shrugged.

Then Luke went back to the counter to fill their orders and a few other peoples'. Within minutes Rory had appeared at the counter. Luke stopped from his work momentarily and asked what was up. Then Rory whipped a folded piece of paper from behind her back and held it out to him. He took it and looked at it for a little bit. The front read "Thank You Luke!" in what he could tell was Rory's neatest handwriting, and it was adorned with doodles of puppies and cats and some stickers of random things like flowers and birds and a fire truck. He opened it and read the inside. It said:

"Dear Luke,

Thank you very much for my new bed. I love it a lot. It's really pretty. Mommy says thanks too.

Your friend,

Rory"

And of course, everything was spelled right, since Rory was a little perfectionist.

"Wow, thanks," Luke smiled, "This is really nice."

"You're welcome," Rory smiled, then made her way back to the table.

Luke re-read the card one last time, and then finally completed everyone's orders. Luke delivered them, leaving Lorelai and Rory's last. He placed their plates down, and even gave Rory her own cup of coffee.

Once they were done, Luke cleaned up their table, while Lorelai reached for her purse.

"It's on the house," Luke waved it off.

"How about you put it on my tab instead…That I will one day pay before I die," Lorelai reasoned.

"Sure, fine," He shrugged, rolling his eyes at the crazy woman who had made such a difference in his life even though she'd only been here a few days.

After the two of them left, Luke went over to wipe down their table and found 5 pennies, 3 nickels, 1 quarter, and 1 dime sitting in the center, obviously put their by Rory. It was a very lame excuse for a tip, but an endearing gesture nonetheless. Besides, the girl was only two years old.

------

After the work day was finally finished, Luke locked up and slowly made his way up the stairs. He had finally made his way into his apartment when the diner phone rang. He groaned, waited a few seconds, then went back downstairs. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?" He answered, trying to stay patient, but not exactly hiding his irritation.

"Luke?" The female voice replied…Lorelai. She only knew the diner number.

"Lorelai?" He asked, she sounded upset.

"Luke, I need your help," She said, rushed and panicked.

"With what? Are you okay? Is Rory okay?" He asked, flipping into protective Luke mode.

"It's Rory, she cut her leg and she's bleeding pretty badly and I think she needs stitches. But I don't have a car," She explained quickly.

"I'll be there in 2 minutes tops," he quickly added, then hung up and ran out the door, not even bothering to turn off the light.

Lorelai heard the screech of his tires outside, then footsteps rapidly heading toward the door. She opened it and Luke came in.

"Where is she?" He asked quickly, as Lorelai ushered him into the living room.

Rory was sitting on the couch tearfully, though she was no longer hysterical, holding a towel to her leg.

"What happened?" he asked. "Was it the bed?"

"No, no. She was getting off one of the kitchen chairs and I guess something was sticking out and her leg got caught or something, I don't know," Lorelai shook her head.

"Alright, well let's go," Luke nodded.

Lorelai scooped up Rory and carried her to Luke's truck. He opened the passenger side door for her and closed it after she was situated. Then he got in the driver's side and started the truck.

They finally hit the freeway.

"A little faster please!" Lorelai pleaded.

"I'm going the speed limit," He replied.

"We just got passed by Nana Gilmore," She deadpanned.

"It's just all that coffee you've been drinking…"He muttered.

After a short moment of silence, Luke looked over.

"You're being really brave, kid," He ruffled Rory's hair, while Lorelai watched him endearingly, her eyes softening.

They arrived at the hospital, which gained a "FINALLY!" from Lorelai. She carried Rory into the lobby and up to the desk. She sat Rory on the desk right in front of the woman on the computer.

"We need help with this," Lorelai pointed out hurriedly, showing the woman Rory's leg.

"We can get her in the ER as soon as possible," The lady replied casually, whose nametag read 'Charlene'.

"Well how soon is that?" Lorelai asked, waving her hands.

"Whenever we can get a doctor," She replied, still calm.

"Well then get on that please!" Lorelai requested, trying to keep her cool.

"Can you fill out this paperwork?" The woman held out a clipboard.

"Sure," Lorelai shook her head and took it.

She carried Rory back to the seating area and took a seat next to Luke. Then she began filling out the papers, though she was obviously stressed.

"Hey, it'll be fine," Luke guaranteed.

Lorelai simply looked at him and nodded in reply.

She finished and gave them back to the woman. Within minutes their names were being called. People in scrubs wheeled out a wheelchair and assisted Rory into it. Lorelai walked alongside them as they took Rory further into the hospital. They examined her leg and put her into surgery for stitches, while Lorelai was asked to leave the operating room. She returned to the waiting room and took a seat next to Luke, while she let out a long exasperated sigh. Luke himself, had his head down, nearly between his knees.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked, managing a chuckle.

"Yeah…I'm just not big on hospitals. They freak me out," He nodded, looking up momentarily. "But I should be asking you that question."

"No, I'll be fine, I just…I'm scared, Luke," She honestly replied, wiping away some of her tears.

"She'll be fine. This is a good hospital. Rory will be stitched up and asking for a book to read in no time," Luke reassured her.

"Thanks," Lorelai laughed a little.

Then she pulled him into a hug. She looked into his eyes as they parted, and knew that he was there for her. Forever. Anytime, anywhere.

"Seriously, thank you. For everything. You're like…" She began, but stopped.

"Like…like what?" He asked.

"Well, I know this is stupid. But like a second dad to Rory, almost," She nodded.

Even though she'd only been living in Stars Hollow for about four days, she felt like she'd been there for a lifetime.

**Author's Note:** Aw. Now, I thought it was kind of fast for Lorelai to declare that Luke's becoming a second father to Rory, but it was a time of strife, where her emotions were at an extreme & Luke was being very caring. I'm not saying that Luke isn't like a real father to Rory or that it's not going to be like that, I just don't want any of you jumping down my throat. So review, be happy, and have a nice day!


	15. Chapter 15

(I'm posting a lot recently because I know that once school starts up again I'll be too busy to post as much, since I have a Machiavelli book review of 'The Prince' due in January & A Romeo and Juliet project due within the week I get back)

Chapter FIFTEEN

Lorelai stood, pacing, in the hospital lobby while Luke sat with his head between his knees once again. Lorelai wondered when he'd got flexible enough to do that...then stopped, realizing how dirty it sounded. The two of them had just arrived from the cafeteria. Luke was going to go by himself to get Lorelai coffee, but then he realized that he couldn't turn a corner without getting nauseous or dizzy. So Lorelai had to go with him to warn him and cover his eyes whenever a patient was wheeled by.

So now Lorelai was irritably standing in the lobby with her burnt hospital coffee, growing more anxious by the second. The man she recognized as Rory's doctor finally came walking out, with an assistant holding her files.

"Lorelai Gilmore?" He asked, as she jogged over to him.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked rapidly.

"Well, your daughter's doing fine. She did need quite a few stitches, forty-three, to be exact," The doctor explained, as Luke writhed in discomfort in the background, just imagining the pain.

"Okay…So how's she now?" Lorelai asked.

"She's good. She should be waking up any moment now," The doctor nodded.

"Well, thank you…Thank you v-very much…Thi-this gave me quite a scare," She replied, her words coming out jumbled.

"I completely understand. You may not believe me, but you two are probably the calmest parents that've ever come in here with an injured child of her age," He said.

"Oh, we're not…he's not her… He was just our ride," Lorelai gestured towards Luke, flustered.

"Oh," The doctor simply added.

Then another female assistant emerged from the hallway and walked up to the doctor.

"She's awake, doctor," She informed him.

"Really?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, she's awake and asking for her _Velveteen Rabbit_ book," The assistant chuckled.

"Can I go see her?" She asked.

"Yes, we just got her all set up in there and comfortable, so she's good now," The woman nodded.

"Okay, thank you," Lorelai replied, and finally allowed herself to breathe for the first time in about 3 hours.

Then she turned to Luke.

"Hey Luke, Rory's okay, so I'm gonna go visit. But she wants something to read…" She trailed off.

"I'll look for something in the gift shop," He interrupted, nodding.

"Okay thanks. And you can just come in whenever," She shook her head.

"Alright. Good luck," He said, giving her shoulder a small squeeze.

Lorelai walked down the hallway, while Luke wandered into the book store. He glanced around at the numerous sun catchers, stuffed animals, and wind chimes, mostly with uplifting sayings plastered across them. There was no good reading material, only newspapers and "bedside Bibles". Luke muttered to himself and just picked the best thing he could find.

He found Rory's room and entered slowly.

"Hey!" Lorelai greeted.

"Luke!" Rory chirped.

"Hey," Luke offered a small wave and made his way over to the bed, where Rory was lying and drinking water.

"Y'know what they said?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged.

"No caffeine for 24 hours, poor girl. This one's a martyr," She ruffled Rory's hair.

"I've got reading material," Luke replied.

He handed them over.

"Ooh, 'Thirty-Two Psalms and Bible Passages', that's some heavy stuff," Lorelai remarked. "And the Wall Street Journal."

"It was the best I could find," He shrugged.

"Yes well, I'll remember this book when Rory begins worshipping Satan, which I believe will happen around age four," She said.

"Always good to be prepared," Luke remarked sarcastically.

"Thanks. I understand the gift shop kinda sucks for books," She shrugged.

"Yeah, it does," He agreed.

Lorelai handed Rory the paper and she flipped through it contentedly. She added a few "hmmm"s and "ohh"s on a few stories.

"So how ya feeling kid?" She asked Rory.

"I'm good," She shrugged.

"Does it hurt?" Lorelai asked, rubbing Rory's arm soothingly.

"Kinda, but I'll be okay," She answered.

"You're a trooper," Lorelai smiled.

Luke took a seat in the extra chair. It had gotten late.

"Ah, you must be tired. I'm sorry you had to drive me all the way out here," Lorelai apologized.

"Don't mention it. It's really not a big deal," He shrugged.

"You can go," She offered.

"No, no, I'm fine. I'll just wait until you're ready to go," He replied.

"I plan on waiting until Rory can leave," She reasoned.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" He asked, jokingly, but about 0.1 serious.

"No, I'm just saying, you have a diner to run tomorrow, and we've been here for hours, I can tell you're tired, and I know you hate hospitals," She said.

"They do make me queasy…" He nodded.

"Then get out of here! Just driving me in the first place means a lot to me. And the fact that you didn't bolt right when we got here, it shows you care about Rory," She said, stroking her daughter's forehead, who was drifting off to sleep.

"Then I'll go," He shrugged. "Just call me when you need to get picked up."

"Okay, even though I'll probably be able to dump the job onto someone else," She said.

"Well I'll be at the diner if you need me," he chuckled lightly.

"Thanks," She nodded.

"Bye," He said.

"Bye Luke," She smiled.

"See you later, Lorelai," He smiled back.

**Author's Note:** I'm a sucker for the hospital fluff. Unfortunately I think that's the end of that. But there is, of course, more moments to come. Reviews are greatly appreciated. I love them more than Kirk loves Cat Kirk (haha, flashback to Season 3. I know Kirk loved that cat). Have a nice day. I'm in a good mood.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter SIXTEEN

Lorelai sighed and wrapped the Ace bandage tightly around Rory's stitched hand as she had been instructed to every morning. She made sure Rory was set and then grabbed her sweater and purse and a few books for Rory. They walked to the diner.

After the door jingled, announcing their entrance, they slid into one of the tables.

"Coffee, please," Lorelai requested when Luke came by.

"Sure. So how's Rory?" He asked.

"She's good, aren't you, Rory?" She turned to her daughter.

Rory nodded numerous times and then returned to her coloring.

"So what am I getting for her?" He asked.

"Uhm…coffee and chocolate chip waffles," Lorelai ordered for her.

"Coming right up," He nodded, slipping the pad into his back pocket.

Rory, being the curious little girl she was, began playing around with the bandage and trying to peek under it.

"Rory, don't mess around with that. It could get infected and then it'll look like you have that creature from 'Alien' on your hand," Lorelai said, looking innocent and completely serious.

Rory hesitantly dropped her hand and went back to coloring.

"Good girl," Lorelai added.

Luke returned with their breakfast and placed it in front of them, while Rory offered him a big "Thank You".

"So what's on your itinerary today?" Luke asked.

"Well, I'm pretty much staying home making sure nothing happens with Rory's hand since it's the day after and watching 'General Hospital'," She explained. "You're welcome to join."

"Nah, I think I'll let you stick with your 'General Hospital-_ing_" alone, but thanks," Luke nodded, chuckling.

"You're loss," Lorelai shrugged, then devoured her muffin.

Once they had finished eating, Lorelai offered to pay and was once again reprimanded. Then they left and went back to their dinky apartment and began watching their soaps.

Around 10 o'clock, the phone began to ring. Lorelai hopped up to answer it.

"Hello?" She answered curiously.

"Hello, it this Lorelai Gilmore?" A woman's voice replied.

"Why yes it is," She replied.

"Hi, this is Mia. From the Independence Inn. I just called to tell you that you got the job, you've been hired as a maid," The woman said.

"Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you so much! I love you! When should I start?" She asked, excited.

"Actually, tomorrow at noon would be great," Mia answered matter-of-factly.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow at noon then. And thank you once again," Lorelai smiled.

"See you then. And thank _you_," Mia added, before hanging up.

Lorelai hung up the phone and stood in the mini-kitchen, stunned for a moment. Then she began to jump up and down excitedly. She ran into the living room.

"Rory! Mommy's got a job!" She squealed happily, scooping her daughter up in a hug and spinning her around.

"Yay!" Rory yelped.

Then Lorelai proceeded to skip around the apartment singing 'Walking On Sunshine' for about ten minutes, repeating the only verse she knew over and over.

"Come on, we're gonna celebrate," Lorelai said to Rory, grabbing her hand and leading her out the door.

They sauntered down the sidewalk and to the diner for the second time that day.

"Luke! I got the job!" Lorelai burst through the door happily.

"That's great!" Luke replied, genuinely happy for her.

Lorelai ran over to where he was standing near the counter and gave him a large hug. And if she wasn't mistaken, she definitely felt some sparks, and there was some odd electrical feeling that kept her holding on for longer than she usually would with "just a friend".

"Hugs are free today!" She smiled.

"Well it's great about the job. Can I get you anything?" He asked.

"Two coffees, to go, please," She nodded.

Luke nodded and went behind the counter to get the coffee for them. He handed them the cups and then they actually found themselves calling for a cab to take them to Woodbury, where they'd heard there was an amazing ice cream parlor. They got two ice creams, both triple scoop, and raced to see who could finish the first scoop.

They arrived home in the evening and Lorelai collapsed onto her bed. Then she realized she still had to bathe Rory so she took care of that and put her to bed, then finally went to bed herself.

------

Luke reflected on the day's events. It had been quite a blur. The morning was business as usual, Lorelai with her way-too-perky demeanor and Rory being curious beyond her years, but the afternoon had been more of a surprise.

Lorelai had come in. And she had gotten her job at the Inn. He was happy for her. Proud. He knew that she really wanted (and needed!) that job. Then there was the hug. God, that hug. Something about it. He couldn't tear himself away. There was something there. And then Lorelai said they were free for the day, and for a moment he was about to ask for another. He wouldn't mind another one.

Luke mentally slapped himself and snapped out of it. He tried not to fall asleep with Lorelai on his mind, but in the end she had won. And thoughts of her brown hair and blue eyes were taking over his brain as he drifted off.

------

Lorelai hopped up around 9 the next morning. She showered and got dressed, then woke Rory. They got coffee to go at Luke's then went back home, since they had a busy day. For some reason, Lorelai noticed that Luke had been acting a little funny. But she shook it off, thinking about her new job instead.

She practically counted down until it was 11:45. She took Rory to a new friend's house. It was Lane Kim, the girl they had seen on their first day in Stars Hollow. After dropping her off, she headed down to the Independence Inn. She heaved a heavy sigh and walked inside.

"Hello Mia," She greeted, recognizing the woman who she'd had her interview with.

"Hi dear," She nodded to Lorelai.

"So, what'll I be doing today?" Lorelai asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Well, it'll be more like a training course today. Monkey see, monkey do. Follow the other maids, take note of what they're doing in the rooms. They'll tell you pretty much what needs to be done. The basics, setting up towels, the bedding, explaining services to the customers, et cetera," Mia explained.

"Okay, great," Lorelai nodded.

"Your uniform is in the back," Mia pointed the way.

Lorelai went into the small back room and grabbed her uniform off the hanger: A pale blue short sleeve polo shirt with an "Independence Inn" logo on one side and a knee-length black skirt.

"Gah, this definitely needs spicing," Lorelai noted.

She put it on and hiked the skirt up a little higher and left the shirt un-tucked, as apposed to the other maids. She stepped out of the room confidently and went back to the front desk to find one of the other maids.

"Nice uniform," Mia smirked.

"Thanks," Lorelai shrugged, then did a small turn, showcasing it.

Lorelai was assigned to follow another maid and got to work making beds and delivering towels.

------

Rory and Lane sat in the Kim kitchen, munching on Soy cookies with Lactaid milk.

"So guess what!" Rory added.

"What?" Lane asked expectantly.

"You know that guy, Luke, at the diner? Yeah well I think my mom wants to marry him," Rory nodded knowingly.

"Really? My mom says that men are the devil's playthings put on this earth to make women lose their morals and that only few are qualified for marriage," Lane replied innocently, as though she was reading it directly from a book.

"Well my mom hugged him yesterday and they both looked at each other all funny. And he's always around for her," She pointed out.

"So your mom wants to marry the diner man?" Lane asked, her eyes wide.

"Mm-hm," Rory nodded. "I think so."

**Author's Note:** I decided to end it at that point. Sorry I haven't been posting for a while. I've barely been home for more than 2 hours lately. And of course, all my shows are back on, so that takes up my night computer time. But I'll try to work on the chapters as much as possible. Thanks for being patient. Review if you can! I'll update ASAP!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter SEVENTEEN

Lorelai walked up to the Kim's house exhausted, still in her now-wrinkled Independence Inn uniform. She took a moment to catch her breath before knocking. Once she did, she was greeted by the short Mrs. Kim.

"Oh hello, the girls are just finishing their wind-down parable reading in the living room. I'll go get her," Mrs. Kim explained.

"Okay," Lorelai nodded.

Mrs. Kim returned about 2 minutes after, with Rory and Lane following behind.

"Hi," Rory waved, hugging her mom's leg.

"Hey kid," Lorelai replied, patting Rory on the head, and then turning to the Kims," Well, thank you for having Rory over. See you around."

"You are welcome. And Rory is welcome over any time. She is very quiet," Mrs. Kim nodded.

"Well, okay," Lorelai smiled awkwardly.

"Bye Rory!" Lane waved.

"Bye Lane!" Rory chirped.

Then Lorelai nodded once more before they turned and made their way back home.

"So, how was it?" Lorelai asked.

"We read the Bible," Rory scrunched up her nose. "But I had fun."

(A/N: I'm not dissin' the Bible, I'm just saying that I doubt it would be a toddler's number one choice of reading material)

"Good. So you wanna go back?"

"Yeah," Rory smiled. "How was work?"

"Well…I had to make beds, and talk to people, and arrange towels, and clean rooms, and slay dragons, and meet the president, and have tea with Queen Elizabeth, and-"

She was interrupted by Rory's giggling.

"Can we get coffee?" Rory pleaded.

"Sure honey, then I have to take this to the dry cleaners," Lorelai explained, pointing to her shirt.

Lorelai and Rory wandered over to the diner and once they entered Lorelai collapsed into one of the chairs.

"Luuuuuuuuke!" She called out desperately.

"So how was your first day?" Luke asked in reply, rolling his eyes at her antics.

"Good, but I'm dying here," She whined.

"Well Rory seems to be having no trouble keeping calm," Luke said, crossing his arms as though he was speaking to a 4 year old.

"But she- and I- and Rory didn't-…" Lorelai sputtered, trying to come up with an excuse but kept getting reprimanded by Luke shaking his head.

Rory watched this exchange, it was odd. Luke was talking to her mom like she was a little kid. Like he was her babysitter. Rory didn't know much about Luke's babysitting skills, but she knew that whenever the maids babysat her they let her play doctor. Maybe her mom and Luke would play doctor, too.

Luke sighed and went to get the coffee pot, pouring two mugs and placing them carefully in front of them.

Lorelai inhaled the steam rising from her beverage and closed her eyes for a minute, letting the vapor warm her face. Rory blew on the mug haphazardly, causing coffee to nearly slosh out of the sides. Luke came over and carefully dropped an ice cube into the cup, causing Rory to smile gratefully. Lorelai began downing her coffee once it had cooled more, as did her daughter. Luke stood, watching the scene, a little disturbed, yet still in awe of the two females that had changed his life.

Lorelai finally finished her coffee and stood up, grabbing her daughter's hand.

"Lucas Danes, you are a lifesaver," She sighed.

"Yeah, I'm a regular Superman," He quipped dryly.

"Thanks for the coffee, bye," Lorelai smiled, shaking her head at his sarcasm.

"Bye! Thanks Luke!" Rory added.

"Bye," Luke replied to them both as the small bell announced their exit.

He sighed and cleared the tables, taking his time wiping all of them down and cleaning the counter. He sorted out all the bills and checked the register. He was in no rush. There was no need to hurry up and get to bed, since tomorrow would be no different. It was the same thing, day after day, over and over. He tossed the towel over his shoulder and took one last look at the diner before switching off the lights and sluggishly heading up the stairs. He felt his way around the dark apartment and found the lightswitch, then took a seat at his small kitchen table.

He remembered when he was young. When everyday was something new, a new challenge. How exactly had he now fallen into this rut? Once the initial chaos of opening the business had subsided he was grateful for the peacefulness. But little did he know it would be like that every single day. There was the occasional…okay, pretty much _daily_ squabble with Taylor, but that was it. He was always into routine, not big on change, but the current mind-blowing level of boredom was driving him crazy. He needed something, _anything_, to make just a small change in his current living style. And he had a feeling that change would come in the form of Miss Lorelai Gilmore. He could just feel something coming. He didn't know what, but the feeling was there.

------

Lorelai sighed tiredly once more as she and Rory slowly made their way down the small town streets in the evening darkness. They were in no rush, and took in the night sky. Lorelai was now holding her black pumps in her right hand, and Rory's small hand in her left. They finally ambled into their apartment and Lorelai changed out of her uniform. She picked up Rory and they left once more, to make their way to the 24 hour Laundromat.

She wearily popped the quarters into the machine, while 'What's Love Got To Do With It" played very faintly on the crackly radio positioned on the counter. It had gone unattended, but nobody cared. Lorelai leaned against the machine and glanced at her watch. She could tell Rory was getting tired, so she picked her up and let her lay on the counter. After standing around and tapping her toes to whatever song came on the radio, the clothes were finally done, and it had felt like a lifetime. She picked up Rory and slung her uniform over her arm and carried the two back to the apartment. She knew one thing- she really needed a car.

**Author's Note:** I'd like to address the fact that I've been giving Rory skills high above her age level. I know that's not exactly true to life and I'm thinking it over more carefully now. Sorry that this one was short-ish. And that I haven't updated in such a long time. I've just been majorly swamped. I'm working on it though! Soon I'll have more time to update.


	18. Chapter 18

We're gonna fast-forward a few weeks now. :

Chapter EIGHTEEEN

Lorelai had been working for a couple weeks by now and had gotten exactly 3 paychecks. She was saving most of the money, but the rest of it was going towards food, since the two of them were practically garbage disposals. She didn't have enough money yet, but she knew she really needed a car. She set off to the diner that morning, as always.

"Luke!" She cried dramatically. "I don't know what to do!...coffee please."

"About what?" He rolled his eyes as he filled her mug.

"I need a car _so bad_, but I can't afford one," She explained.

"Why don't you ask your parents?" He suggested, shrugging.

"Oh no, you do not understand how it is between me and my parents. Once you turn to them for one thing, they hold it above you forever and never forget it," She nodded gravely.

"Well…if you really need it, I could lend you some money," Luke offered.

"No! Luke I could never ask that of you. Don't even think about it," She pointed a finger at him and took a sip of her coffee.

"Just know that the offer still stands," He replied and retreated to the counter.

Lorelai was peacefully sipping her coffee and reflecting on Luke's admirable kindness when she caught sight of the time. She practically spit her drink across the room and jumped up, grabbing Rory's hand and yanking her out the door.

"C'mon Rory, mommy's gotta bring home the bacon," Lorelai prompted, jogging down the sidewalk with the toddler's hand clasped in her own.

She dropped Rory off at Lane's and ran to the Independence, bolting into the front door and haphazardly locking herself in the staff coat closet to get dressed in her uniform. She emerged, breathing heavily and her hair a mess, to everyone looking at her in confusion. She simply nodded an exasperated "hi" to them and smoothed her skirt.

"Alright then…the Perkinson's need to be shown to room 15," Michel explained in his heavily accented voice.

"Will do," She nodded, then motioned for the middle-aged couple to follow behind her.

Lorelai had been working for three hours. Or had it been seven? Or maybe two days? Nope, only _three hours_. Three hours of making beds and smiling at guests whenever they walked by and directing everyone to the complimentary towels. Today was going mind-numbingly slow. Once it was finally her lunch break, she sat down in the small staff room which was pretty much just a moderately-sized shed off to the side of the actual inn. Since it was small, there was only one window, and the other maids and staff had it furnished with a small, unsteady card table, three folding chairs, and a radio. She leaned back on her chair, breathing deeply. She unwrapped the mini-sub the kitchen staff had given her. It was tuna. Gah. She knew that she said she'd take whatever they'd give her, but she hated tuna.

"And I thought the kitchen staff and I had a special agreement…" She murmured.

But, a tuna sandwich was better than no sandwich, so she flipped back her hair and gulped, then took a bite. While she was eating, her mind wandered. It wasn't a bad thing, since it distracted her from the far-too-much-mayo-ness of the sub. And since _when_ did tuna fish sandwiches have chopped celery in them? She would have to take up this subject with Luke later. Luke. Lorelai had taken quite a shine to him. He was funny, and he put up with her. Also, he wasn't exactly hideous either. He's not quite Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome, but he had a rugged attractiveness to him. And he was nice to her. Beneath his monosyllables and cynical remarks, Lorelai could tell he was genuine. He had actually offered to help her _pay for a car_. Was he crazy? Offering a loan to Miss Lorelai "Just toss your loans with the rest of my emotional baggage" Gilmore? Not all of her loans were money, but she still had a lot of them. She still owed Kate Ricker back for "borrowing" her wildfire red Manic Panic and new mascara and "forgetting" to give it back. _Please_, Lorelai had the half-full jar of hair dye in her top drawer and the mascara in her makeup bag. Sorry Katie, you're not getting it back. But back to Luke, he was so mysterious, and he actually listened to Lorelai (or at least made it seem like he did). She wanted to know more about him. Maybe she'd ask those two gossipy women (Barbara and Miss Pansy, was it?) that she saw in the diner every morning. They seemed to have their fingers on the pulse.

Lorelai heard the voice over the radio announcing the time and pretty much toppled backwards out of her chair. _Wow, the second time you've been cutting it close today_, she thought, wiping off the crumbs and leaving the shed, _great job, Gilmore_.

"Lorelai! There you are," Mia called, summoning her into the lobby.

"Yeah?" She asked, standing up straighter.

"We have a guest," She explained.

"Okay, what room?" Lorelai asked routinely.

"No, not _that_ kind of guest," Mia chuckled lightly. "A possible employee."

"Oh," Lorelai nodded, and then took notice of the girl standing next to Mia. She couldn't be much older than Lorelai herself, and recognized her as the plump girl that she'd seen in the paper for winning a baking contest years ago.

"This is Sookie St. James," Mia introduced. "Sookie, this is Lorelai. I'm sure you'll get along."

"Hi," The two of them greeted in unison, Sookie waving.

"And Lorelai, I'd like you to show Sookie around and be her right hand this week. She's trying for a spot on the kitchen staff, and since you seem to have an "in" with the people in the kitchen I thought you'd be the ideal woman for the job…And I'll tell them you don't like tuna," Mia smiled knowingly, and Lorelai tried to look innocent.

"What's wrong with tuna?" Sookie asked, big-eyed.

"Well, nothing, it's just…I'm picky about it," Lorelai rambled on, flustered. "And there was celery in it, and…and, um, too much mayonnaise, and-"

"Gah!" Sookie exclaimed, causing Lorelai to jump, "I hate it when there's too much mayo and celery!"

"_Me too_!" Lorelai replied, lightly putting her arm around Sookie's back and leading her into the kitchen.

They chattered casually about tuna and then continued on to pie.

Lorelai's work day had finished as Sookie's tour guide, and they had spent the day talking about food and movies and Lorelai had told her about Rory. They walked out of the kitchen and towards the door.

"Hey, you wanna grab some coffee now?" Lorelai asked, since Sookie was her first female friend in town and she enjoyed talking to her.

"Well I can whip some up…" Sookie offered.

"Yeah, but going out for coffee seems so much more sophisticated. You know, sitting at a little table, making small talk, the whole bit," She replied.

"You're right!" Sookie said, practically giddy. "But where?"

Lorelai contemplated. The coffee at the diner was great, but it would be hard to talk if Luke ever came up in conversation, and he was just the person Lorelai had been meaning to bring up. So she settled on Weston's.

"How 'bout Weston's?" She shrugged.

"Sure, let's go!" Sookie grabbed her sweater and bag while Lorelai got her purse.

The two young women sauntered down the sidewalk chattering and laughing as though they'd known each other for years. Anyone watching their animated conversation would've guessed they were friends since birth. They finally arrived at Weston's and went inside, both ordering coffee and a small dessert. A slice of pie for Lorelai, and a scone for Sookie. They settled at a small table and began their conversation quickly.

"So, you know Luke Danes, right?" Lorelai asked, deciding just to dive headfirst.

"Yeah, we went to the same high school. Him and his sister," Sookie nodded.

"So, what do you know about him?" Lorelai asked, trying to sound blasé, but doing a bad job, as it was obvious that she was very interested.

"Well, he's a bit of a loner, I guess you'd call him. But he's a really nice guy. He cares a lot about family, in school he would always lecture Liz- his sister- about the older boys she was dating. Call them tools and pervs and shallow jerks," She giggled.

"Hmm. Yeah, he's nice," Lorelai added.

"So how long've you been in Stars Hollow?" Sookie chirped.

"Well, not that long, but I've _sort of_ known Luke longer," She replied.

"Sort of?" Sookie questioned in confusion, eyebrows raised.

"Well, you know how I had Rory when I was a teenager? Well my mother was practically head of the Hartford gossip chain and she was paranoid that anyone would see me and blab about Richard and Emily's "loose" daughter and their reputations would be ruined. So she brought me to Stars Hollow to buy the pregnancy tests and go to a clinic," She explained. "And I sort of just started talking to Luke one day at his dad's hardware store and that was it. We lost contact for a few years, but then I moved here and we started talking again, obviously."

"Wow," Sookie stirred her coffee with wide eyes.

"Yup," Lorelai sighed, satisfied, and took a sip of her drink.

"What, you got a thing for him or something?" Sookie giggled out of nowhere, and Lorelai began choking on her coffee.

"Sookie!" Lorelai cried, putting down her mug. "I do not."

"Okay," She replied, putting up her hands in defense.

"I can tell that he's a really sweet guy…I mean, he offered to help me pay for a car!...but, it's not like that," Lorelai tried to convince herself.

"He tried to help you pay for a car?!" Sookie asked in disbelief.

"Uhm, yeah?" Lorelai answered uncertainly at Sookie's bewilderment.

"Wow," Sookie breathed. "That's really nice."

"Yeah, yeah it is," Lorelai smiled softly.

"Well did you take the offer?" She asked abruptly.

"No! I couldn't do that. I need a car, but that's just too much," She shook her head.

"Yeah, I understand," Sookie nodded.

"So, how about the men in your life?" Lorelai asked, leaning in towards the center of the table.

"Well…there _is_ this one guy. His name is Jackson, I met him at a veggie convention and it turns out he doesn't live too far from here. He's even considering moving to Stars Hollow to be closer to his crops!" Sookie gushed excitedly.

"Sookie, that's great!" Lorelai shared her excitement.

"I know!" Sookie nodded thoroughly.

"Have you guys gone out yet?" She asked.

"What? Oh no, no, definitely not," Sookie immediately clammed up.

"Well, I think it's about time. Do you have his number?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, uh, yeah…my purse…but," She floundered, as Lorelai grabbed her purse and dug around until she found the small slip of paper with his number scrawled on it.

"Let's go," Lorelai said, picking up her own bag and beckoning Sookie towards the door.

They walked to the Kim's, where they picked up Rory, then powerwalked back to Lorelai and Rory's apartment. Sookie offered to make Rory lunch, so while she did that, Lorelai dug through the bedroom until she found the phone. Once she had found it, she dialed the number and handed it to Sookie. Sookie stood there, frozen, as the phone rang in her hand.

"Hello?" A male voice greeted.

Sookie got nervous and tossed the phone to Lorelai, who then tossed it back to her, who only responded by throwing it into Lorelai's hands once more.

"Hello," Lorelai finally answered, deciding she had to do this herself. "Is this Jackson?"

"Why yes it is," He replied.

"Good. Now, I hear you know my friend, Sookie St. James," She said.

"Um, yes, yes I do," Jackson replied, after taking a nervous gulp.

"Well word on the street is that she thinks you're a pretty nice guy," Lorelai nodded, though Jackson couldn't see it.

"Really?" He seemed to relax more.

"Really. And she's been meaning to ask you if you'd like to go out sometime, she just can't do it herself right now. She's recovering from a bought of…uh laryngitis," Lorelai replied coolly.

"Oh, wow," He said simply.

"So, can she expect to see you at Weston's this Friday at 8 o'clock?" She asked.

"Uhm yes. Yes she can," Jackson answered proudly.

"Great. And look nice!" Lorelai added, before hanging up.

Sookie stared at her.

"I just scored you a date!" Lorelai exclaimed.

There was a moment of silence before Sookie jumped up and screamed happily, then went over to hug Lorelai, and the two of them continued squealing and hopping up and down. Rory, feeling left out, stood on her chair and started squealing happily with them, twirling her fork in the air like a baton.

**Author's Note:** Yes, I know, not too much L/L-ness in this one either, but more than last time. And I'll be addressing the "car" issue more in the next chapter. Reviews are nice. I'll add more ASAP (school is coming to a close!)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter NINETEEN!

Lorelai closed the cab door behind her and exhaled slowly and dramatically. She narrowed her eyes at the enormous house in front of her and let her feet lead her to the door. One after another, heels clicking on the cobblestones. Her expression had softened and she now looked more nervous and anxious. She pushed back her shoulders and rang the doorbell.

A petite blonde greeted her with a "hello" and brief nod. She ushered Lorelai into the foyer and took her coat and purse.

"The Gilmores will be with you in a few moments," She replied in her small voice.

"Take your time," Lorelai said, silently yearning for a drink.

"I didn't expect to have any visitors today, Lucille," Lorelai heard her mother saying in her far-too-loud voice.

Lorelai scoffed and then stood up straighter when she heard her mom's footsteps.

"Oh, Lorelai, hello," Emily greeted upon seeing her daughter.

"Hi mom," Lorelai answered awkwardly.

"Well what are you doing here? Honestly Lorelai, you can't expect me to stand in my foyer with my daughter all day, I'm sure you understand that I have things to do," Her mother said impatiently, before she had even given Lorelai a chance to answer.

"No, I don't expect you to do that. I have something very important to talk about with you and dad," She stated.

"You're pregnant again," Emily's face dropped.

"No, mom, I'm not," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well in that case, what?" She asked.

"Can I talk to you and dad in the family room?" She asked in reply.

"Sure, sure. Lucille, can you get Richard?" She summoned her maid once more.

"Yes Mrs. Gilmore," Lucille nodded timidly.

Emily led Lorelai into the family room and they took seats on opposite couches. There was an awkward silence until Lorelai's dad finally came in.

"Lorelai, oh, well hello there," He nodded, caught off guard.

"Hey dad," Lorelai smiled slightly.

"Richard, Lorelai says she has something to tell us," Emily piped in matter-of-factly.

"Oh, something to talk about? Do tell," He urged.

"Well, I was just about to get to that, _mom_," Lorelai faked a smile.

All eyes were on her.

"Okay, so," She let out a breath. "I've been living in Stars Hollow with Rory, and we both really love it, it's great. I have a job and everything and an apartment, but…money is still a little tight with us. And with the winter approaching, it's not the best idea to be making a toddler walk everywhere. So…I was wondering…If I could maybe have a loan for a car."

"You'd like a loan, Lorelai? Did you hear that Richard? Lorelai just asked for a loan…a loan for a car," Emily restated in a falsely sugary voice with her eyes wide as saucers.

"Yes, I heard it Emily," He nodded deeply.

Lorelai wanted to pull her hair out, but she kept her composure and played along with her parents.

"So, what do you say?" She asked calmly.

"I suppose we could do that. Don't you, Richard?" Her mom said, with a smug Cheshire-cat smile on her face.

"Yes, we could work something out," He nodded at his wife, then Lorelai.

"Let's make our way back into the foyer to sort out the details, then you can get on your way, shall we?" Emily suggested with a sweeping nod.

Man, there was a lot of nodding going on tonight.

They went into the foyer, and Lorelai finally emerged from the house two hours later. She was exhausted. Thank God she hadn't brought Rory. She knew one thing, she was never going to live this one down.

She stopped by the Kim's to pick up Rory, then took her to the diner. They sat at a table and got settled. Luke made his way over, order pad in hand.

"What can I get you?" He asked.

"Chili cheese fries and 2 coffees, please, with a side of _kill me now_" She ordered, pleading with her eyes.

"Well something's up, so I'm gonna save you the lecture. But what's the problem?" Luke asked.

"I just escaped from an excruciating meeting with my parents," She explained, as Luke poured them coffee.

"Sounds like you had a rough time," He nodded.

"No more nodding! Please!" She pleaded, sounding like a mental patient.

Luke rolled his eyes at her and went on, "So would you care to tell me what this infamous meeting was about?"

"Well, I asked my parents…for a loan…for a car," She replied, taking dramatic pauses.

"Good job," Luke crossed his arms.

"Good job?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"You had the courage to face your parents and realize you needed help. So what'd they say?" He said.

"They said yes," Lorelai answered, with a little more confidence.

"See, there you go," He patted her shoulder in a congratulatory fashion. "You, Lorelai Gilmore, can get anything."

"Hah, thanks," She said, looking into her coffee cup and turning faintly pink.

Then after a few minutes of silence and coffee-sipping, Lorelai looked up once more, her face deathly serious.

"But you know, Luke, I'm never going to live this down," She said gravely.

"I'm sure you'll live," He said, pseudo-sympathetically. "So when are you gonna go get your car?"

She sighed. "Tomorrow I guess."

"You know…if you need a second opinion or anything, I can go with you," He offered nonchalantly.

"Actually that would be kinda helpful, thanks Luke…but wait, don't you have to work at the diner all day?" Lorelai asked.

"I can get Caesar to take over while I'm gone. He's done it before, he's good at it. And he likes the supposed _authority_," Luke explained.

"Alright then," Lorelai chuckled. "How about 10:30 tomorrow?"

"Sure," He shrugged.

"Okay, well we should get going," Lorelai pointed out, once the fries and coffee were finished.

"Yeah, see ya," Luke nodded, and they had both seemed to forget that Lorelai told him not to.

"Bye," She replied.

"Bye Luke!" Rory chirped, receiving a brief wave from Luke.

"Oh and Lorelai," Luke called, once the two girls had reached the door. "Don't worry about your parents."

Lorelai simply nodded, a half-smile on her face.

They left and walked home, a nip in the air. She tightened Rory's jacket and ruffled her hair. Once they got inside Lorelai got Rory situated with a bath and a video, and let her fall asleep. She took this time of peace to call Mia and inform her she'd be off from work tomorrow. After that, she drifted to sleep herself, noting that a few extra hours wouldn't be that bad.

------

She awoke at eight o'clock and toasted a PopTart. Then she sat at the table for awhile. Then got up and paced. She flipped through the channels- nothing on. It was now that she realized why she never woke up at 8 AM. She hadn't gotten up anywhere close to this time since high school. She reminisced about high school. Christopher, her old friends, Friday night football games, parties. It all seemed so long ago. She shook the memories off and decided to take a quick nap.

When she woke up again, it was 9:30. _That's more like it_, she thought with a smile. Then she woke up Rory and got her dressed. She got dressed herself and they went to the diner. They barged in haphazardly and took a seat at their usual table.

"Hey Luke," Lorelai called. "Coffee?"

He simply scoffed and poured her and Rory mugs. After they had savored every last drop, Lorelai stood up perkily and strutted over to the counter.

"Ready to go, Luke?" She asked.

"Yeah, in a second," He replied, then went upstairs.

When he emerged, he told Caesar to take over, then the 3 of them left. They all sat in the front seat of Luke's truck, Rory squished in between. The conversation on the way was light and airy. Once they got there, they all piled out and walked into the lot crowded with automobiles.

"So, where shall we begin?" Luke asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Um, over there," Lorelai declared, pointing to a random direction.

They walked by car after car, Luke noting important features like air bags and engines, and Lorelai keeping track of how many cup holders and what kind of radio they had.

"How about this one?" Luke asked, motioning toward a van-type vehicle.

"Luke!" She cried, looking distraught.

"What?" He asked, startled.

"How could you ever suggest that?" She asked in astonishment.

"What? It's a good car. It's stable, safe, roomy," He said in his defense.

"It's a soccer mom van!" She cried.

"Well, maybe Rory will take up soccer," He replied, smirking.

"Gah! You are hopeless," She rolled her eyes.

"You're the hopeless one! The way you're shopping for cars you'll be driving out of here blasting the radio with Rory stuffed in a cup holder," Luke replied dryly.

"Luke, I car about the quality of the car, I just don't wanna be driving some crap-wagon," She sighed.

"Fine, fine, let's move on," Luke sighed in defeat.

One hour and about 50 cars later, after deciding it would be best to split up and cover more ground, Luke had managed to find Lorelai and Rory. He led them over to a corner of the lot.

"This one's alright, I'm not sure where it lands on your '_crap-wagon'_ scale, but it's not a van and it has a good running engine.

It was a beige jeep.

"Ooh," Lorelai mused, running to the side and opening all the doors. "And I can drive around all convertible-like and go off-roading."

"There's a mini van right there," Luke said, threatening her plans.

"Fine," She sighed.

"Well, what about it?" He asked.

Lorelai hopped into the driver's seat and squished around, feeling the steering wheel and putting on the seatbelt, then playing with the radio controls. She made sure to count the cup holders (three), and then got back out.

"Perfect…and my mom will hate it!" Lorelai said, giddy.

Luke rolled his eyes, but simply said, "Let's go buy it then."

The small group walked to the small building and sorted out all the details with the slightly creepy salesman, and then finally handed over the paperwork and got the keys. Once they had gotten back outside Lorelai spoke up.

"Why didn't I bring my camera?!" She asked no one in particular.

"Why would you need a camera?" Luke asked in confusion.

"So my mother could see not only the car that I bought, but _where_ I bought it from. She'd die," Lorelai giggled.

"You are sick," He shook his head.

"Thank you," She twinkled.

They were about to part to their respective cars and Lorelai turned to Luke.

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you. I couldn't have done this whole car thing without you," Lorelai said honestly.

"Ah, of course you could've," He shrugged.

"No, I'm serious. You've been such a big help," She nodded.

"Well, it's no problem," He said. "I'm happy to help."

"Well thanks," She thanked, engulfing him in a big hug which lasted probably longer than it should have.

"So, I'll see you later I guess," Luke replied, as they awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact.

"Yeah. I'll be the one on the road blasting Aerosmith," She said.

"Try not to get pulled over," He chuckled.

"Sure, sure," She laughed.

"Alright, bye," He said.

"Bye, say 'bye', Rory," Lorelai replied.

"Bye Luke!" Rory chimed in.

"Bye Rory," Luke smiled warmly.

Then they got into their vehicles and left.

**Author's Note**: That's all I got for now. Hopefully you liked it. Wow, 19 chapters already. I'll add more when I can. I'm on summer hours now!


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